EPISTLES

You know what’s so interesting about my husband’s book, The last book he will ever write. It could have been about politics. It could have been about football. It could have been about anything. He was multi-dimensional.

It literally says Stop in the Name of God, stop. Stop the violence. Stop the hate. Have a conversation. Stop. And what he knew in that book was not just so much stop that… take a minute to get off of your phone and realize that we are all human operating on this broken planet, all sinful, no one’s perfect, and we’re not getting out of here alive.

But what he knew in that book was the balancing factor of communication. You cannot communicate with someone if you’re not at peace with yourself. So he went on campus talking to a kid. They’re screaming at him, screaming, does he scream back? Not once. He sits there, and you know what he’s thinking. It’s in that book.

Maybe you need to take a few hours, get off your phone. Go for a walk in nature. Go sit and have a coffee. Go and tell your mother you love her. Go do something that is beautiful and healing, instead of trying to tear something down that you did not build.

Erica Kirk, CBC News

Charlie Kirk’s latest book, Stop in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life (Book Link: https://amzn.to/4ppeTLL), has a release date of December 9, 2025. As of this writing, this non-political work has already ascended to the Top 1 best-selling position in both Religious Studies Education and Christian Commentaries, rewarding weeks of strong pre-sales.

Dedicated to helping Christians reclaim the Sabbath to reconnect with God, Kirk’s spiritual leadership is seen by many as bridging the gap between Protestantism and Catholicism.

Many Catholics consider Kirk as a model of bravery. They emphasize that while some clergy remain hidden in churches and in chanceries, Kirk proactively defended objective truths—such as the sanctity of life—on hostile college campuses.

By standing up for the faith in an era of cultural persecution, Kirk is viewed as a champion who lived out the Christian mandate to speak the truth even when it invites violence. While many believers are hesitant to speak, Kirk was celebrated for proactively proclaiming the truth on hostile grounds, inviting rigorous discussion rather than fleeing conflict.

Fr. Chris Alar of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception once suggested that many are too ashamed to defend truths that Kirk championed. Drawing parallels to John the Baptist, Fr. Alar argues that Kirk’s unwavering commitment to faith and country made him a primary target for those who resort to violence when they cannot defeat the truth through reason.

In a video he posted on YouTube, Father Alar discussed the significance of Charlie Kirk’s life and work in the context of recent events. Here are the important parts of his message.

The Intersection of Gospel and Daily Life

So many times it seems almost surreal how the gospel passage for the day fits so applicable to a situation that we face as Christians in our daily lives. Jesus’s words here: “Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who mistreat you.” That is what Charlie Kirk did.

I was watching some of his videos last night and he was saying of murderers that they are still children of God, and he prayed for them. Father Jason and I went last night into the chapel right after we heard the news and did mass for Charlie Kirk and for his family—especially his wife and children. This was right after his murder, after just listening to his video to him calling murderers still children of God and that he prayed for them. 

So what did he do? What did Charlie Kirk do? He wasn’t a lawmaker. He wasn’t a politician. He was killed for what he stood for. He made it okay to be pro-life and Christian. He inspired many to live a life of faith and to stand for the truth. He invited those who opposed his views to have a safe platform, a safe forum to disagree with him. 

Proclaiming Truth on Hostile Grounds

He picked specifically the most hostile territory of college campuses, where he would go and be many times shunned. Charlie simply said the best argument should win, and his slogan was “prove me wrong.” But his platform was the truth.

So how do you prove the truth wrong? So he welcomed that challenge. He welcomed that. He used the truth and he was winning. So they killed him.

You know, this is a political assassination. The governor of Utah said, “Let’s make this very clear. This is a political assassination”. Do you know that this is our first political assassination in the United States since 1968?

Martin Luther King was killed in April of that year and then Robert F. Kennedy was killed in June of that year. This is the first political assassination in the United States since 1968.

You know, it’s hard to fathom, but Father Jason said it really well last night that when one side realizes they can’t defeat the truth, they turn to violence. And it made me think of Herod.

Remember, we just read about John the Baptist a few weeks ago. And Herod realizes that he couldn’t defeat the truth, so he turned to violence. This is all scriptural. 

The Beauty of God and Country

Charlie Kirk was bringing the truth to college campuses, mainly the beauty of God and country. They feared him because he was actually changing the mind of college kids, showing them the insanity of what they are being taught, the indoctrination and the lie that it’s based on.

He said when people quit talking, that’s when you get violence. So he invited discussion. He also, though, lived what he preached. He just didn’t preach it; he lived it. He said, “I am religious and I want you to find the happiness of God, of living virtuous, not living sin”. 

That’s not hate. I was really affected when somebody sent me a video on text yesterday and in it, he was asked if he died, what he would want to be remembered for. And Charlie Kirk said, “You mean if I die?” He was asked if he died what he would want to be remembered for. And he answered, “The courage of my faith. That’s what I want to be remembered for”.

You know, as a Protestant, he had a lot of courage. Father Matthew Tomy sent me a video of him talking about the Blessed Mother and he said, “You know, as Protestants, we have really overlooked Mary. We have really missed the beautiful grace that God gives in Mary.” That took courage. 

The Consequences of Demonization

He’s the leader of a Protestant faith—I mean he’s not a religious preacher I don’t think—but he stood for virtue and as a Protestant, he had courage to be talking like that about the Blessed Mother…

What is happening? Violence and murder are the tragic consequences. It was said yesterday when there is a demonizing of those you disagree with. So if you disagree with someone, you’re going to demonize them and then the result will be tragic violence, murder. Calling someone Hitler and fascist, then there will be violence against that person and against those who support them. It makes sense.

You know, when I was real young, I met a survivor from the concentration camps. They were elderly. I was young. And I remember that person said, “In America, we don’t know what a fascist is”. 

Defending the Freedom to Speak

And they went on to explain what they had lived through. That’s true. I believe that. We don’t. He said, “They killed you for your religion.” You know, we don’t have that in the United States, I guess, unless you’re Charlie Kirk.

And so, one network anchor last night said that this man is so divisive and therefore he should expect the consequences. Really, a major network anchor saying that this man was so full of hate, so divisive that he should expect the consequence. You should expect to be murdered because you speak the truth?. 

You know, I did a talk couple years ago on Saturday, an “Explaining the Faith” series, and I showed a clip of Charlie Kirk. He was explaining something about the faith and I showed it—it’s still up there. I got so much hate mail and I couldn’t understand it. I said, “I don’t even know who this guy is, but what he said was beautiful”. Since then, I’ve learned who he is.

What did he ever do that was so hateful other than stand up for Jesus and America? Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Yes, the truth is divisive. We know this. But Jesus never stopped speaking it because it was divisive. Charlie Kirk was called an extremist because he said we can’t change biology and that men should not compete in women’s sports. 

Faith as a Path to Happiness

He said the truth will set you free, and he dedicated his life to it. He offered hope for young Americans that faith can help them find true happiness.

He wanted to restore the greatness that is our birthright: the love of God and love of country. This is what made him a hater and divisive. It was sad to see that he was answering a question about transgender gun violence and mass shootings the moment he got shot. He said earlier he had death threats. 

We had to call the police when I had a death threat because in one homily, I mentioned that to please just be aware that there are health concerns to take in the vaccination because my mother died from the vaccination. I saw that as freedom of speech. I never told anybody not to take a vaccination. I simply said just please look at all of the evidence now. I can’t take it because of my heart could kill me and just be aware of that; just be aware there are consequences. And I received a death threat that was very credible. We had to call the police.

And so, this is free speech. And he said college campuses now are no longer places of free speech and he tried to change that. 

The Mission of the Church in Politics

Is that being political or is that being something more about human rights? Well, let’s look at the catechism. The Catechism 2246, which I have quoted before, says it is part of the Church’s mission to pass moral judgments even in the matters related to politics whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls require it.

This is about the fundamental rights of man. The freedom to worship and to have free speech. This is about the right of free speech because without it there is no way for us to teach our faith or to evangelize…

A Final Prayer for Souls and Nation

I can’t imagine what the wife, Erica, is going through. His children are too young to understand, but we pray in her heart she’s able to forgive. It’s easy for me to say here, but I can understand the difficulty she must have. But somehow deep inside, this is the message that Christ is trying to teach us…

Let us pray for his family. Let us pray for the families of those of 9/11. And most of all, let us all pray for our enemies that we may forgive so that we may be forgiven. 
May God bless Charlie Kirk, his family, the United States, and somehow find a way to turn back to God. There’s no other way. There is no other way.

Someday we will realize this. We just pray that it’s not too late because right now we’re losing souls and we have to keep teaching, preaching, believing, and loving. It’s a fight. It’s a battle. And it’s not easy. But with the grace of God, all things are possible—even the conversion of a murderer…

Divine Mercy. (2025, September 11). Charlie Kirk: Why? Fr. Chris Alar Makes an Interesting Connection [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/RobA-j8yMJ0