The last thing Ryan Realbuto did in his life on earth was praise God. He did this the Thursday before the New Hampshire primary and the day before the March for Life -- just before the 23-year-old was shot in Washington, D.C.
I have no idea if Realbuto was planning on going to the annual pro-life celebration I was in D.C. for, but he had moved there from upstate New York after graduating from St. Bonaventure College to join the Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps. Realbuto worked to be available to anyone in need. He was shot by a man who wanted money.
Realbuto was "a kind, gentle person with the purest, purest heart," his aunt told a local news outlet. "He could not even formulate a mean thought, let alone verbalize it or act on it on any human being. He was so proud to serve, he was so proud of his work, to serve others." His mother added: His mother added: "He was pure. He was innocent. He was love."
Could that be said of you and me?
According to a story in the the National Catholic Register "He scrubbed dishes in a soup kitchen, did yard work at a foster home, repainted the chapel at a home for women and helped high-school kids figure out their future jobs."
How many of us even think about children in foster care? What can we do to honor this young man's life? I have no doubt Realbuto lived to show us what is most important.
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The day after he died, I spoke on a panel at the David Network, an annual gathering of conservative Ivy League students. Most of the people I talked with wanted something better than the political mess we're facing again. And they had questions about how they could live their lives in transformative ways. What makes a difference in the world? A former Democratic congressman, executive administration official, and I all had the same answer: Live virtuously.
Realbuto's mother is heartbroken. Adding to her pain, a cross he wore daily was lost between the shooting and the medical attempts to save his life. The news of his death, however, has reminded people how to live: Serve the poor. Love one another. These are the things that count and truly change the world.
I and other pro-lifers were marching in the hours after Ryan died Friday morning. Many of us did not hear about the shooting until we read news stories over the weekend. I have young colleagues who went to Church with Realbuto, who was described as an "old soul."
We meet people every day who we will never see again because of senseless violence. A recent New York Times opinion piece recently advocated for assisted suicide. In Alabama in recent days, a man was executed, after a previous failed execution attempt, for a heinous crime, but who are we to take a life? It is to be protected. From conception to natural death, we're called to reverence life.
Some Christians believe those who are in heaven can intercede for us -- nudge God on our behalf. I pray that Ryan Realbuto is in that position as soon as possible. Not to be selfish, but we need him.
(Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book "A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living." She is also chair of Cardinal Dolan's pro-life commission in New York, and is on the board of the University of Mary. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com.)
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