Charlie

I’ve been absent from my blogging, but my fingers on the keyboard have been awakened by the assassination of Charlie Kirk. It has been six days, and my newsfeed is still filled with vigils, updates on the ongoing investigation, kind words, and, sadly, inhumane ones.

I was not an avid follower of Charlie. However, I did enjoy watching him in reels from college events where he brought truth to many misconceptions and lies. In those clips, I saw someone who was deeply committed to providing a much-needed service to our culture: truth-telling. I admired the powerful gift Charlie had. No—I wish I had that gift. I wish I could do what he did. Perhaps you saw the same thing I did, and you wanted it too. That desire—for his skill, his knowledge, and his kindness—reveals just how unique Charlie was.

Of course, I’m praying for his family: his wife and children, now left without a husband and father. I’m also praying for his mother and father, who are now left without their son. My prayers are with his close friends, who are grieving the loss of a companion and confidant. And my prayers extend to this country and to this generation of young men and women who have lost someone who challenged the way they think. Charlie was someone who exposed the propaganda we consume and often adopt, helping us instead to see the truth.

Charlie also proclaimed the truth of the Gospel—the truth found only in Jesus, who is the Truth. In that, we shared a mission, a common goal, a partnership in labor. We have lost a great voice for the Gospel, which means the work is now ours to continue without him.

But here is a marvelous thing to consider: it seems that many are responding to a renewed need to reconnect with the Church and with God as a result of Charlie’s death. His witness lives on—helping us to continue sharing the Good News.

I still have many questions.
What will this mean for our country?
Who was behind his death?
How will this change us as Americans?
Why have some become so radicalized that they rejoice when a man like Charlie is gunned down?
What will be the repercussions?

I have some guesses, but no real answers to share. Perhaps the answers will come in time… though there are no guarantees that they will.

Here is what I do know, and what I want to say:

Thank you, Charlie. You will be missed.