The Catholic response to evil must begin with prayer, but it cannot end there. In the wake of Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Catholics across the country are grieving and grappling with powerful emotions.
Fr. Mike Schmitz, the popular priest behind “Bible in a Year,” reminded the faithful that “the proper human response to evil is anger,” according to LifeSiteNews. He told Megyn Kelly that he was praying for Kirk’s family and friends, acknowledging the pain many feel as they try to process the shocking loss.
“We live in a broken world,” he said. “God is good,” but humanity’s misuse of freedom often unleashes suffering and tragedy, according to LifeSiteNews.
Kelly, fighting back tears, admitted she felt “deep, deep anger” over the murder. “That’s not a healthy emotion. It’s not something you should stay mired in,” she said, yet millions of others feel the same way.
Fr. Schmitz reassured her, and Catholics everywhere, that such anger is not sinful when directed rightly. “There were times when Jesus saw injustice, where Jesus saw evil … He was angry,” he explained, pointing to Scripture as a model for righteous anger.
He also warned that anger must not turn into bitterness: “Anger can be a positive emotion. Sometimes you need to fight for the right thing … We can’t afford to go into resentment, but we have to know how to choose what to do with our anger,” according to LifeSiteNews.
For Catholics, that means prayer, fasting, and action rooted in the Gospel. “We fight through debate,” Fr. Schmitz said, echoing Kirk’s own commitment to dialogue on college campuses rather than violence, according to LifeSiteNews.
Authorities confirmed that a suspect is in custody. Utah Governor Spencer Cox stated that Tyler Robinson, 22, was turned in by his father after reportedly admitting to the killing. Robinson allegedly criticized Kirk’s views as “spreading hate” and “full of hate” in a conversation prior to the attack (according to LifeSiteNews).
Charlie Kirk, a husband and father, was known for mobilizing young people to stand for conservative and pro-life values. His death leaves a deep wound, but as Fr. Schmitz reminds us, Catholics are called to transform anger into a force for good.
This moment challenges us not to retreat into despair or resentment but to defend the truth with courage, pray for the conversion of sinners, and intercede for Kirk’s family as they mourn a man who was willing to “fight for the right thing.”
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