Charlie Kirk
Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM,
Pastor
As we know, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed last week at an event at Utah Valley University. I will confess that I did not know who he was before September 10th. I have since learned that he co-founded and was the executive director of Turning Point USA. He has also published books and hosted the talk radio program, The Charlie Kirk Show. His rise in prominence was also attributed to college campus debates held at his signature, Prove Me Wrong, table. Whether we agreed with him or not, or whether we knew of him or not, the taking of another life is always tragic but the death of someone so young adds an extra level of grief to this tragedy.
There is no doubt that everyone would agree that our country is divided. I think we would also agree that that division seems to be growing deeper and wider.
When parishioners would talk to me about their difficulties with President Trump, I would encourage them to focus on Jesus and who Jesus is calling us to be. Likewise, when people had spoken to me about their difficulties with President Biden, the response was the same, focus on Jesus and who Jesus is calling us to be.
I will continue to encourage all Christians to remember that we are followers of Christ before we are anything else. We are Christians before we are Democrats, Republicans, Independents, or any political party, or even nationality. Our Christian discipleship must always come first. A few weeks ago, we heard Jesus’ admonition, “If anyone comes to me
without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, cannot be my disciple.” (LK 14:26) Jesus wholeheartedly believed in the 5th Commandment to “honor your father and mother” so his point was not that we must break the law of Moses, but that nothing, nothing, not even our parents, if the case may be, can come before being a disciple of Christ. Being a follower of Christ comes ahead of everything.
The killing of Charlie Kirk is a tragic reminder of that division that is ours. It also shows the extent to where we can go when our anger is channeled into rage rather than understanding. This division causes fear, frustration, and even, at times, righteous anger. At least I know it does in me. As we continue to be bombarded with the obscene volume of shootings in our country, it also shows how we can be self-righteous and be possessed by the idea that I am right, and they are wrong.
Of all people, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s response to the killing of Charlie Kirk caught my attention. In an address to students at the University of Southern California, he expressed his anger that someone would take another life because they have different opinions. He went on to say that Charlie Kirk’s death was attributed to the “division caused by social media companies, mainstream media and both Democratic and Republican politicians.” He added, “We’re getting hit from so many different angles and we have to be very careful that we don’t get any closer to the cliff because when you fall down that cliff, there is no democracy.” He called upon the students to be united and to start communicating even if they have differing political beliefs.
Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel is Jesus ultimate prayer. He prays that we may all be one. “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (JN 17:2-0-21)
There is a reason why Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (MT 5:43) He knew that retribution only leads to more division and to that endless descending spiral of violence.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”(MT 5:38 – 48)
I believe that Jesus is teaching us that by struggling to love our enemies it demands that we try to understand why they are the way they are and ask why they are doing what they are
doing. That alone does not give them credence or credibility, but it can help us to bridge the divide. That seemingly impossible demand to love your enemy, I believe, was Jesus saying that that is the only way we can ever know reconciliation and true peace.
Our hearts and our prayers go out to Charlie Kirk, his wife and his family. His killing was a tragic event for all of us. Sadly, and perhaps lost in the news from Utah, we may have missed that several people were injured in a school shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado that very same day, September 10th, with the 16-year-old shooter taking his own life. Two weeks prior, on August 27th, we heard the devastating news of the shooting at nnunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis that killed two school children and wounded 21 others.
There is no wonder that we are afraid, and outraged. We should be both, but we must also be afraid that we don’t fall down the cliff. We may feel helpless and ask, “What can we do?”
The answer to that question is not simple nor easy but we can at least begin by remembering to focus on Jesus and figuring out who Jesus is calling us to be. That wisdom is gained by prayer to the Holy Spirit asking for that special gift as well as continuing to read scripture so we can hear again and again what Jesus teaches.
May the Holy Spirit grant all of us the wisdom, courage and strength to truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ. May we rise above our human reactions so we can respond to the challenges and struggles in our lives, our society, and our world, to be light in the darkness, comfort to those who mourn, have a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and possess a clean heart that is merciful. May we be peacemakers so we can truly rejoice and be glad for the kingdom of God will be ours.
May the Peace of God be yours today and may you be blessed with all that is good.
ALSO:
