September 11, 2025
Countless men, women, husbands, wives, children, community leaders and dearly loved ones die in our nation every day. Hearts grieve with the passing of each one and often times, families are left in shock, wondering how they are going to survive and if their hearts will ever be mended. There are very few, if any, who are reading this who have not experienced the loss of dearly loved one. In the events of yesterday, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, we do well to remember and mourn all who have died, especially in such tragic ways these past days and weeks, and all of the families, the parents, the children, brothers, sisters and dear friends who are left with the grief of their absence. At the same time, an event such as this, the killing of a person who led a very public life, encountered thousands around the country and involved in some of the most contested and polarizing issues of our nation and time, carries the opportunity to have far reaching effects. It is not about whether one agrees with everything that Mr. Kirk said or whether one considers him to have been a saint, the variety of public responses and reactions on social media indicates that his killing is a significant event for our nation. So we turn to our Lord to give us direction and guide us in our response.
The scripture reading we were given in the Traditional Latin Mass last night was very fitting and stood in contrast to the way that most of the nation appears to be responding, which is the way that Christ most often leads us: “we are reviled, and we bless; we are persecuted, and we suffer it. We are blasphemed, and we entreat; we are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all even until now.” (1 Cor 4: 11-12). And again, this morning we were given the Gospel passage from Luke: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.” (Lk 6:27-30)
As with anyone active in political life, Charlie Kirk spoke on many things. We do not look to him, or to anyone, other than our Lord, to have a perfect knowledge and opinion on everything. If anything, politics reminds us that it is difficult and a challenge to navigate the problems and issues in this world and in our daily lives. Life, as many say, is messy and often times unclear, so that despite even the most ardent desire to follow Christ and His teachings, we will get some things wrong. Even His closest disciples, who would be named His Apostles, tried to prevent Him from going to Jerusalem and the Church, throughout the centuries has had ardent debates on pastoral responses and how to put into practice the vision of our Father’s Mercy and Love that Jesus revealed to us. But that we always strive to look to Him and humbly ask forgiveness for the times when we fail to see things clearly and live out His commands. How blessed are we that He gives us such mercy and forgiveness that He does not first look upon our faults and failures. He did not even condemn Peter for denying Him, but after His resurrection, gave Peter the task of feeding His sheep.
In everything that I have heard from him, Charlie Kirk gave fair testimony to the teachings of Christ on fatherhood, the dignity and value of the life of the unborn, the question of same sex relationships and gender dysphoria. It seems that most of the derision and insult he received was because of this testimony. Without any knowledge of who took his life, I cannot say at this time that he was killed because of these things. But our Lord tells us that we will receive opposition, be despised, persecuted, and even hated for giving testimony to Him and the Love of God. If they treated even the Son of God with humiliation, scourging, slander, mockery and death on the Cross, how much more will those who follow Him and stand up for what He taught face the same, and even worse things. The lives of the Apostles and early martyrs of the church, and every generation has born out the truth of this. And He tells us that we are to meet the face of this persecution with Love and not condemnation. He calls us to the same way that He told the Prophet Ezekiel long ago, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” (Ezk 33:11) There is no pleasure in the death or killing of anyone. Rather, our goal is for the conversion and life of all, even and most especially for the ones who would count us as an enemy and themselves would take joy in our own death.
The way to this conversion is through His love. That is, in a very practical way, no one is converted from hate, anger or condemnation by themselves being hated or condemned; no one can be moved into the light through darkness; one cannot be brought into love without receiving the love of God Himself. This is why our Lord has told us elsewhere that we are to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. In a moment such as this, whether it is the killing of a public figure that we have heard many times but never met ourselves, or it is an attack on our own loved ones or our very selves “do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
This is not a call to action that is soft or passive inaction. It is no more a surrender than our Lord surrendered to the Roman guards. It calls for an active love. It calls for strength and perseverance to continue to give testimony to the Love that Jesus Christ revealed in the face of opposition and persecution, to stand fast and not be pulled into your own acts of slander, insult or violence. Because this is how the world is converted and how the victory will be won.
Continue to give testimony to the image of fatherhood and motherhood, the profound beauty of life-giving marriage between man and woman, the dignity of life, the treasure that has been given to us being created as male and female, and the mercy that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God has given to us. Furthermore: Do not be afraid. Although He tells us that such things will happen, He has also promised: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:20). In a world where many will try to distract you and get you to look in many other places, keep your eyes focused on His Holy Face and He will lead us through.