By Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann

Copyright ncregister

The shocking event of last week’s assassination of Charlie Kirk has left a country in shock and two young children without a father.

I cannot imagine the pain of Charlie’s widow, Erika, but I feel a special closeness to her and her family. My father Fred was murdered before I was born. I never met him but I got to know him through my mother, through his friends, and, I believe, through his supernatural presence in my life. Charlie’s children are now, tragically, on a similar path.

The absence of a father can probably not be fully appreciated in this life. So many memories and experiences were denied by his death, and yet I am grateful to know that my dad was a man of virtue, of faith, and of deep love. I did not experience these things directly, but I experienced all of them through the relationships my dad left behind.

The suffering and circumstances of each family that has lost a loved one by violent crime vary, and I do not presume to understand what Erika and her children will go through in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. What is evident, however, is that Charlie was a man of faith who loved and was loved. This, in time, will be a legacy that will, we hope and pray, sustain them through the tragic loss of their husband and father.

The culture of division, even to the point of death, which is becoming the new normal in our country, has profound consequences. I was blessed to grow up in a time when communities rallied around families in need. Kids knew each other through countless hours on the streets or parks playing various games.

Faith in God was a visible part of the community. And politics did not define your values or moral status.

Things are different today. The community around the Kirks is likely caught up in the larger culture wars where the family feels threatened, even hated. Charlie’s wife and children will possibly always require personal security. And yet they have a global community that respects Charlie and has showered them in prayer. I know of many Masses and Rosaries offered for the family.

For me, the prayers of those who loved my mom and dad were the means of a great grace for me and my brother. I pray a similar grace will be with Erika and her children.

We know Jesus’ death was the path to his resurrection. We also know that the love we share in this life has an eternal dimension. My dad’s murder was a horrific event in the life of my family, but I firmly believe that my dad’s love for my mom, me, and my brother survived his death. It is the awareness of that love that strengthened me in difficult times, prepared me to be a priest, and then, later, a bishop. How God uses tragedy, even evil, for good is the great mystery of our faith, but that is what we believe.

My mother was a woman of great faith. She never believed that God desired for my Father to die in the manner he did. She believed his murder was the result of evil and sin. She also knew that Jesus did not promise his disciples that they would never experience pain and suffering. In fact, he told them that they had to be prepared to embrace the cross.

At the same time, Mom trusted in Our Lord’s promise to his disciples that they would never be alone — that he would be with them in everything. Mom also believed that God could bring good from evil, life from death. With the benefit of looking back 75 years, I greatly appreciate the fact that my mother became a Catholic school teacher and principal. She influenced the faith of hundreds of children. The priests in our parish were close to our family, in part because of my father’s death. In some way, my discernment of the call to the priesthood was a fruit of the tragedy of the murder of my father.

I pray for Erika, her children and for Charlie. I pray that the pain of this event will be a grace for this country, so in need of healing. I pray for all those inspired by Charlie Kirk that they may continue his legacy of a desire to communicate the Truth, witness to faith in Jesus Christ, cherish the beauty of marriage and family, and finally, a love for our country despite its current wounds.