Ladies and gentlemen of the Class of 2024: I would like to start off by congratulating all of you for successfully making it to this achievement today. I’m sure your high school graduation was not what you had imagined, and most likely, neither was your first couple years of college.
By making it to this moment through all the adversity thrown your way from COVID, I hope you learned the important lessons that suffering in this life is only temporary. As a group, you witnessed firsthand how bad leaders who don’t stay in their lane can have a negative impact on society. It is through this lens that I want to take stock of how we got to where we are, and where we want to go as citizens and, yes, as Catholics. One last thing before I begin, I want to be sure to thank President Minnis and the board for their invitation to speak.
When President Minnis first reached out a couple of months ago, I had originally said No. You see, last year I gave the commencement address at my alma mater, Georgia Tech, and I felt that one graduation speech was more than enough, especially for someone who isn’t a professional speaker. But of course, President Minnis used his gift of persuasion. [Laughter] It spoke to the many challenges you all faced throughout the COVID fiasco ,and how you missed out on so many milestones the rest of us older people have taken for granted. While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique. Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.
Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the Sign of the Cross during a pro- abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice.
He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common. They are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn’t cut it.
These are the sorts of things we are told in polite society to not bring up. You know, the difficult and unpleasant things. But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the “Church of Nice” is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.
It is safe to say that over the past few years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind. I never envisioned myself, nor wanted, to have this sort of a platform, but God has given it to me, so I have no other choice but to embrace it and preach more hard truths about accepting your lane and staying in it.
As members of the Church founded by Jesus Christ, it is our duty and ultimately privilege to be authentically and unapologetically Catholic. Don’t be mistaken, even within the Church, people in polite Catholic circles will try to persuade you to remain silent. There even was an award-winning film called Silence, made by a fellow Catholic, wherein one of the main characters, a Jesuit priest, abandoned the Church, and as an apostate when he died is seen grasping a crucifix, quiet and unknown to anyone but God. As a friend of Benedictine College, His Excellency Bishop Robert Barron, said in his review of the film, it was exactly what the cultural elite want to see in Christianity — private, hidden away, and harmless.
Our Catholic faith has always been countercultural. Our Lord, along with countless followers, were all put to death for their adherence to her teachings. The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.
But make no mistake, before we even attempt to fix any of the issues plaguing society, we must first get our own house in order, and it starts with our leaders. The bishops and priests appointed by God as our spiritual fathers must be rightly ordered. There is not enough time today for me to list all the stories of priests and bishops misleading their flocks, but none of us can blame ignorance anymore and just blindly proclaim that “That’s what Father said.” Because sadly, many priests we are looking to for leadership are the same ones who prioritize their hobbies or even photos with their dogs and matching outfits for the parish directory.
It’s easy for us laymen and women to think that in order for us to be holy, that we must be active in our parish and try to fix it. Yes, we absolutely should be involved in supporting our parishes, but we cannot be the source for our parish priests to lean on to help with their problems. Just as we look at the relationship between a father and his son, so too should we look at the relationship between a priest and his people. It would not be appropriate for me to always be looking to my son for help when it is my job as his father to lead him.
St. Josemaría Escrivá states that priests are ordained to serve, and should not yield to temptation to imitate laypeople, but to be priests through and through. Tragically, so many priests revolve much of their happiness from the adulation they receive from their parishioners, and in searching for this, they let their guard down and become overly familiar. This undue familiarity will prove to be problematic every time, because as my teammate’s girlfriend says, familiarity breeds contempt. [Laughter]
Saint Josemaría continues that some want to see the priest as just another man. That is not so. They want to find in the priest those virtues proper to every Christian, and indeed every honorable man: understanding, justice, a life of work — priestly work, in this instance — and good manners. It is not prudent as the laity for us to consume ourselves in becoming amateur theologians so that we can decipher this or that theological teaching — unless, of course, you are a theology major. We must be intentional with our focus on our state in life and our own vocation. And for most of us, that’s as married men and women. Still, we have so many great resources at our fingertips that it doesn’t take long to find traditional and timeless teachings that haven’t been ambiguously reworded for our times. Plus, there are still many good and holy priests, and it’s up to us to seek them out.
The chaos of the world is unfortunately reflected in the chaos in our parishes, and sadly, in our cathedrals too. As we saw during the pandemic, too many bishops were not leaders at all. They were motivated by fear, fear of being sued, fear of being removed, fear of being disliked. They showed by their actions, intentional or unintentional, that the sacraments don’t actually matter. Because of this, countless people died alone, without access to the sacraments, and it’s a tragedy we must never forget. As Catholics, we can look to so many examples of heroic shepherds who gave their lives for their people, and ultimately, the Church. We cannot buy into the lie that the things we experienced during COVID were appropriate. Over the centuries, there have been great wars, great famines, and yes, even great diseases, all that came with a level of lethality and danger. But in each of those examples, Church leaders leaned into their vocations and ensured that their people received the sacraments.
Great saints like St. Damien of Molokai, who knew the dangers of his ministry, stayed for 11 years as a spiritual leader to the leper colonies of Hawaii. His heroism is looked at today as something set apart and unique, when ideally it should not be unique at all. For as a father loves his child, so a shepherd should love his spiritual children, too.
That goes even more so for our bishops, these men who are present-day apostles. Our bishops once had adoring crowds of people kissing their rings and taking in their every word, but now relegate themselves to a position of inconsequential existence. Now, when a bishop of a diocese or the bishop’s conference as a whole puts out an important document on this matter or that, nobody even takes a moment to read it, let alone follow it.
No. Today, our shepherds are far more concerned with keeping the doors open to the chancery than they are with saying the difficult stuff out loud. It seems that the only time you hear from your bishops is when it’s time for the annual appeal, whereas we need our bishops to be vocal about the teachings of the Church, setting aside their own personal comfort and embracing their cross. Our bishops are not politicians but shepherds, so instead of fitting in the world by going along to get along, they too need to stay in their lane and lead.
I say all of this not from a place of anger, as we get the leaders we deserve. But this does make me reflect on staying in my lane and focusing on my own vocation and how I can be a better father and husband and live in the world but not be of it. Focusing on my vocation while praying and fasting for these men will do more for the Church than me complaining about her leaders.
Because there seems to be so much confusion coming from our leaders, there needs to be concrete examples for people to look to in places like Benedictine, a little Kansas college built high on a bluff above the Missouri River, are showing the world how an ordered, Christ-centered existence is the recipe for success. You need to look no further than the examples all around this campus, where over the past 20 years, enrollment has doubled, construction and revitalization are a constant part of life, and people, the students, the faculty and staff, are thriving. This didn’t happen by chance. In a deliberate movement to embrace traditional Catholic values, Benedictine has gone from just another liberal arts school with nothing to set it apart to a thriving beacon of light and a reminder to us all that when you embrace tradition, success — worldly and spiritual — will follow.
I am certain the reporters at the AP could not have imagined that their attempt to rebuke and embarrass places and people like those here at Benedictine wouldn’t be met with anger, but instead met with excitement and pride. Not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify him. Reading that article now shared all over the world, we see that in the complete surrender of self and a turning towards Christ, you will find happiness. Right here in a little town in Kansas, we find many inspiring laypeople using their talents.
President Minnis, Dr. [Andrew] Swafford, and Dr. [Jared] Zimmerer are a few great examples right here on this very campus that will keep the light of Christ burning bright for generations to come. Being locked in with your vocation and staying in your lane is going to be the surest way for you to find true happiness and peace in this life.
It is essential that we focus on our own state in life, whether that be as a layperson, a priest, or religious. Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024, you are sitting at the edge of the rest of your lives. Each of you has the potential to leave a legacy that transcends yourselves and this era of human existence. In the small ways, by living out your vocation, you will ensure that God’s Church continues and the world is enlightened by your example.
For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.
[Applause lasting 18 seconds]
She is a primary educator to our children. She is the one who ensures I never let football or my business become a distraction from that of a husband and father. She is the person that knows me best at my core, and it is through our marriage that, Lord willing, we will both attain salvation.
I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God’s will in their life. Isabelle’s dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you asked her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud, without hesitation, and say, “Heck, No.”
As a man who gets a lot of praise and has been given a platform to speak to audiences like this one today, I pray that I always use my voice for God and not for myself. Everything I am saying to you is not from a place of wisdom, but rather a place of experience. I am hopeful that these words will be seen as those from a man, not much older than you, who feels it is imperative that this class, this generation, and this time in our society must stop pretending that the things we see around us are normal.
Heterodox ideas abound even within Catholic circles. But let’s be honest, there is nothing good about playing God with having children — whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive. No matter how you spin it, there is nothing natural about Catholic birth control.
It is only in the past few years that I have grown encouraged to speak more boldly and directly because, as I mentioned earlier, I have leaned into my vocation as a husband and father, and as a man.
To the gentlemen here today: Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the U.S., and a correlation could be made in their drastically lower violence rates, as well.
Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy. You might have a talent that you don’t necessarily enjoy, but if it glorifies God, maybe you should lean into that over something that you might think suits you better. I speak from experience as an introvert who now finds myself as an amateur public speaker and an entrepreneur, something I never thought I’d be when I received my industrial engineering degree.
The road ahead is bright. Things are changing. Society is shifting. And people, young and old, are embracing tradition. Not only has it been my vocation that has helped me and those closest to me, but not surprising to many of you, should be my outspoken embrace of the traditional Latin Mass. I’ve been very vocal in my love and devotion to the TLM and its necessity for our lives. But what I think gets misunderstood is that people who attend the TLM do so out of pride or preference. I can speak to my own experience, but for most people I have come across within these communities this simply is not true. I do not attend the TLM because I think I am better than others, or for the smells and bells, or even for the love of Latin. I attend the TLM because I believe, just as the God of the Old Testament was pretty particular in how he wanted to be worshipped, the same holds true for us today. It is through the TLM that I encountered order, and began to pursue it in my own life. Aside from the TLM itself, too many of our sacred traditions have been relegated to things of the past, when in my parish, things such as ember days, days when we fast and pray for vocations and for our priests, are still adhered to. The TLM is so essential that I would challenge each of you to pick a place to move where it is readily available.
A lot of people have complaints about the parish or the community, but we should not sacrifice the Mass for community. I prioritize the TLM even if the parish isn’t beautiful, the priest isn’t great, or the community isn’t amazing. I still go to the TLM because I believe the holy sacrifice of the Mass is more important than anything else. I say this knowing full well that when each of you rekindle your knowledge and adherence to many of the church’s greatest traditions, you will see how much more colorful and alive your life can and should be.
As you move on from this place and enter into the world, know that you will face many challenges. Sadly, I’m sure many of you know of the countless stories of good and active members of this community who, after graduation and moving away from the Benedictine bubble, have ended up moving in with their boyfriend or girlfriend prior to marriage. Some even leave the Church and abandon God. It is always heartbreaking to hear these stories, and there is a desire to know what happened and what went wrong.
What you must remember is that life is about doing the small things well, setting yourself up for success, and surrounding yourself with people who continually push you to be the best version of you. I say this all the time, that iron sharpens iron. It’s a great reminder that those closest to us should be making us better. If you are dating someone who doesn’t even share your faith, how do you expect that person to help you become a saint? If your friend group is filled with people who only think about what you’re doing next weekend and are not willing to have those difficult conversations, how can they help sharpen you?
As you prepare to enter into the workforce, it is extremely important that you actually think about the places you are moving to. Who is the bishop? What kind of parishes are there? Do they offer the TLM and have priests who embrace their priestly vocation? Cost of living must not be the only arbiter of your choices, for a life without God is not a life at all, and the cost of salvation is worth more than any career.
I’m excited for the future, and I pray that something I have said will resonate as you move on to the next chapter of your life.
Never be afraid to profess the one holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church, for this is the Church that Jesus Christ established, through which we receive sanctifying grace.
I know that my message today had a little less fluff than is expected for these speeches, but I believe that this audience and this venue is the best place to speak openly and honestly about who we are and where we all want to go, which is Heaven.
I thank God for Benedictine College and for the example it provides the world. I thank God for men like President Minnis, who are doing their part for the Kingdom. Come to find out you can have an authentically Catholic college and a thriving football program. [Laughter and applause]
Make no mistake: You are entering into mission territory in a post-God world, but you were made for this. And with God by your side and a constant striving for virtue within your vocation, you too can be a saint.
Christ is King.
To the Heights.
“I know that my message today had a little less fluff than is expected for these speeches,…”
I thank Heaven for providing a man who gave a speech with substance.
I do hope Pope Francis and his coterie took notes.
And since they never will.
Cost of living must not be the only arbiter of your choices, for a life without God is not a life at all, and the cost of salvation is worth more than any career.
Amen brother!
Brave. I would call Harrison Butker brave, in every sense of the word.
Thank you so much for sharing this in full Don – as expected his words have been taken out of context and twisted, and the speech has made it in the Australian news. Which can only mean one thing – he has hit a chord.
I watched this with my daughter. I was joyed when he quoted St Josemaria. Opus Dei priests adhere to the doctrines of Faith more than any priests I know. And they will tell you straight-up if you are out of line.
Harrison Butker’s parents must be proud of the man they raised who, in his words, stayed in his own lane and focused on his vocation ignoring all distractions (distraction would be many n his line of work).
His stocks will only go up because of his authenticity and humility.
A wonderful speech and a wonderful Catholic.
God protect him and bless him.
What a breath of fresh air huh.
A Catholic who is formed in his beliefs.
The pretend (c)atholic, who is holding the office of President, is scandalizing our faith.
A good Catholic he claims himself to be since I never have read in quotations that the Pope said that about him. And even if he did, the weight of that statement coming from Francis is extremely light. EXTREMELY.
“We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.”
I do have some problems with this part of the speech. The next Catholic media figure that interviews him should press Butker on this and ask him to at least clarify. On Constitutional free speech grounds, I too have problems with this bill. But that’s another matter.
Thank you, Wokesters For having your outrage bring attention to Butker. The crazier these loudmouths get the more people they drive away. #Disney #DoctorWho. #BudLight #Target
Reaction of the usual suspects is not surprising. Anything that asks personal responsibility and moral behavior is a foreign concept to them.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen said these words about the laity:“Who’s going to save our Church? It’s not our bishops, it’s not our priests and it is not the religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes and the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that the priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops, and the religious act like religious.”
🤣🤣🤣
Leave it to the lib media!
Serious minded individuals (who would not have even known this speech happened or the college existed) are now prompted to listen to this fine piece of oratory.
If they had only ignored it, we might have talked about it for a day or two amongst ourselves but that would have been it. Now it is everybody’s lips.
As Joseph said to his brothers:
You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that he might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people.
Gen 50:20
May these words and the outrage against them save many people.
“The next Catholic media figure that interviews him should press Butker on this…”
I think he raised a legitimate concern. Most secularists in America who know of the TLM Triduum prayer about Jewish conversion to faith…loathe it. It’s “anti-semitic” in that it doesn’t honor Jewish faith as being whole and complete. …Never mind secular ideals hold most Catholic belief in disgust…. Then too, most hate crime laws reek of Thought Police intent.
..and remember the FBI targetted TLM churches two(?) years past. It’s not inconceivable for priests to be arrested for “hate speech” and prosecuted.
Big Brother is not known for tolerance.
I DO think it quite ironic: Trump has been notorious for lack of commitment to faith. He still demonstrated greater fidelity to Catholic belief as President than most of our “Catholic” political figures.
On principle, I hate “hate speech laws”
I cling to the idea that I’d rather know who is against me than not.
Anything that is legal to say with the epithet “a-hole”, should also be legal to say when said with a racial epithet. Let society realize that using hateful epithets is reprehensible, as society was well on its way to doing before these laws were enacted upon us.
I’ve been stunned at the waves of outrage, and not just by the usual suspects. Catholics who usually try to follow a ‘let’s all get along’ have waded into him. Naturally leftwing Catholics have joined the Left in going after him. But I’d say it’s been about 10 to 1 in favor of roasting him alive for his comments. Which speaks volumes about problems the modern Church is having.
One of the most important purposes of mass media is to identify enemies of the state so that the public knows to properly mock them. One of the paradoxes of the modern world is that even as options in media increased, there was a large class of people who became more and more locked into the current narrative. When you only had three networks, one local paper and one radio station that you could easily catch, it was easy to see why you could easily be fooled by a false narrative. Now we have hundreds of channels, easy access to nearly every newspaper there is, plenty of alternative sources of information online, etc. and yet about half the population is more controlled in their information feed than ever.
This is because the left has made great strides in controlling the education industry, science industry and entertainment industry. Through these, they have convinced large swathes of people that looking for more information is in fact immoral. You should just take what you are told and show your agreement.
Thus when the mainstream narrative says that Harrison Butker is the enemy, plenty of people jump on board without ever looking up any of the details. It’s the same phenomenon we saw with Kyle Rittenhouse, the Covington kids, etc.
We must never forget that as for Christ there is neither jew nor greek so in his death there is not. Human sin killed Christ then as now..
I too hate hate speech and hate crime laws as well. I said as much in my remark.
If Butker had limited his remark to that, I would be in enthusiastic agreement.
But the whole “Jews killed Jesus” (which is only partly true. It was the corrupt Jewish leadership and the Roman provincials did at the time) thing has been used to target Jews today. And it must also be borne in mind that antisemitism is something of a problem in so-called traditionalist circles, to which Butker belongs. And let’s not forget Butker is only 28 years old, still a pretty young man. As one who is thirty years his senior, I can say from experience I was far more impressionable at 28 than I am now.
I usually attend two TLMs a week at an FSSP parish nearby, so I’m not anti-TLM by any means. But I’m also aware of the problems that exist in many parts of that community, as well as other communities in the Church.
On balance, the speech was substantially solid and agree with much of it. Having a professional athlete his stature willing to speak out the way Butker did is more than encouraging.
But I’m also aware of the problems that exist in many parts of that community, as well as other communities in the Church.
Me too Greg.
Balance.
Spirit of poverty helps.. prayers for the Spirit of Poverty. Third Joyful mystery.
Balance is a Buddhist virtue, not a Christian one.
And I, for one, admit I have absolutely no knowledge of the “so-called traditionalist circles, to which Butker belongs.” The families, the Priests, the Pastor … I don’t know names, careers, backgrounds … so making accusations about their alleged antisemitism would be calumnious.
It’s not as much a balance issue as it is a truth. And truth IS Christian.
I will run the risk of offending people here (being an American blog with predominantly American readers), and I don’t mean to – but I am just baffled:
Who gives the US Congress any right to pass any law through Congress prohibiting citizens stating that the Jews crucified Jesus. The Jews did crucified Jesus. And saying so DOES NOT make you antisemitic.
The Jews crucifying Our Lord are facts of the gospel. Facts.
What gives the US Congress the right to meddle with the gospel…The US has no power over the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How utterly arrogant. I have never heard anything so ridiculous. Butker is correct. A 28 year old athlete has the sense to state how ludicrous this is.
Am I missing something here…?
As an aside , the Butker number jersey is now the number 1 selling NFL jersery purchased by men and women
The Jews crucifying Our Lord are facts of the gospel. Facts.
The Romans at the instigation of the leaders of the Sanhedrin crucified Jesus. The Sanhedrin was not unified on this point as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were followers of Christ. The Jewish population of Jerusalem, judging from the reception that Christ received on Palm Sunday, was divided as to Jesus.
Are we splitting hairs now to keep the peace? I’m quite disappointed by this.
No splitting hairs. I am simply relating the evidence as given in the Gospels.
I think the Council of Trent Catechism says it well as to the ultimate responsibility for Deicide:
In this guilt are involved all those who fall frequently into sin; for, as our sins consigned Christ the Lord to the death of the cross, most certainly those who wallow in sin and iniquity crucify to themselves again the Son of God, as far as in them lies, and make a mockery of him.
Regarding his swipe about Jews, since that seems to be a hang-up across the board. Mr. Butker is roughly my oldest son’s age. My son took a few classes that touched on religious history, including Christianity. In modern colleges, at least his, the Bible is presented as myth in the same manner as the Iliad or Aeneid. A growing train of thought is that the NT is much like the OT. Where the OT was simply priestly fan fiction written centuries after the fact, so the NT was a bunch of skeletal documents around which the growing Christian cult added endless tales, myths and legends. And not just around the obscure historical Jesus. Often driven by that famous sexism, phobia, racism and other qualities they are taught to identify with Christianity. Among these is the idea that the Jews had even heard of Jesus when it came to him being crucified. It was Rome and Rome alone. The whole Sanhedrin courtroom drama being added to smear the Jewish community in later years. Which itself isn’t new. I knew liberal protestants who fully embraced that. I remember a roundtable debate with a local pastor from a hard leftwing church who argued that. No Jews present. It was Rome. Which, if we remember, was also said during the firestorm around Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. Recall then those arguing that including Jews in the trial of Jesus was merely antisemitic propaganda. Perhaps this is something he encountered in his schooling, just as my son did. That he linked it to the widely condemned congressional bill may have been an attempt to kill two birds with one stone. But sometimes I think us old codgers miss just how far from what we took for granted our society has come. That kids are literally told showing up to church on Sundays makes as much sense as gathering at the ruins of a Greek temple. Both of which long debunked myths and lies from ancient days, and nothing more.
Among these is the idea that the Jews had even heard of Jesus when it came to him being crucified. It was Rome and Rome alone.
How do they explain Saint Paul’s commission from the Sanhedrin, Saint Paul of course writing when almost all the eye and ear witnesses of Christ were still alive?
“ Heterodox ideas abound even within Catholic circles. But let’s be honest, there is nothing good about playing God with having children — whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive. No matter how you spin it, there is nothing natural about Catholic birth control.”
There’s nothing good about not prayerfully considering whether or not to relations within a time of fertility that might conceive, nor is it operating as prudent. That’s not “playing God”.
“ If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[a]”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
“Among these is the idea that the Jews had even heard of Jesus when it came to him being crucified. It was Rome and Rome alone.”
They explain it the same way the explain away teachings and miracles and anything else they don’t like. Was there some vague “Paul” in the early church? Sure. In the same way there was some obscure historical revolutionary around which the whole Jesus Christ myth was woven. An early Christian cultist who was a major leader and thinker of this emerging cult, around which endless tales and myths were spun. Converted on the road to Damascus? Please. That’s like believing someone actually walked on water. Again, it wouldn’t shock me if they said linking him to the Sanhedrin was simply more antisemitic swipes meant to tarnish the Jewish community as the Roman world appropriated this obscure cult and made it its own. Recall a decade ago that book by some Brith scholar saying there was no real Christian persecution or martyrdom at the hands of Rome. From St. Stephen on, the whole lie of the ‘era of martyrdom’ was merely created by the Church to justify persecuting pagan religions. And some of this is older than that. As I said, I recall a local colleague in a very liberal Church teaching the idea that it was Rome and Rome alone who crucified Jesus (that would have been before 2005, as I entered RCIA that year). I realize it would take little effort to punch holes in these wild theories. But they are out there and have a pretty broad stage in our secular society. And it may have been that train of thought he encountered that he was referencing. Perhaps he could have said it better and not as just a swipe. But given what my son told me that he learned in college; I have an easy time believing that may have been the reason for Butker’s statement.
They explain it the same way the explain away teachings and miracles and anything else they don’t like.
So in other words they ignore the historical evidence in order to weave Leftist myths. No wonder the mainstream Protestant churches are becoming museum pieces.
So in other words they ignore the historical evidence in order to weave Leftist myths.
Sure. The idea that almost everything in our cultural story has been tainted by imperialism, systemic racism, bigotry, colonialism, sexism, is pretty common. The evidence was written by the winners, a vile brood, so it’s easy to dismiss. Therefore, the basic guardrails of scholarship that should send up warning flags about such nonsense are, themselves, subject to high levels of suspicion, if not outright rejection. Thus the growing trend in some circles to imagine much of the NT was written generations after the fact. Even into the early to mid-2nd Century. Imagining it was written as bigoted fan fiction, spinning yarns and far out tales, is an easy half-step to the next level.
Butker said:
“Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.”
If I were to say: “On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor“, I hope I wouldn’t be accused of being a raging anti-Japanese bigot. I doubt I’d face jail time for saying it, I obviously wouldn’t be blaming every Japanese person living at the time, and I most certainly wouldn’t have to explain that I wasn’t blaming Japanese people who hadn’t even been born yet.
Why then would I need to attach all these disclaimers were I do read aloud any of these bible passages:
“You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.”
~ Acts 2:22-23
“The God of Abraham, [the God] of Isaac, and [the God] of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence, when he had decided to release him. You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.”
~ Acts 3:13-15
“If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed.”
~ Acts 4:9-10
“When they had brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, “We gave you strict orders [did we not?] to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.”
~ Acts 5:27-30
“For you, brothers, have become imitators of the churches of God that are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you suffer the same things from your compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us; they do not please God, and are opposed to everyone,”
~ 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15
“But Jesus answered them,i “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason the Jews tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.”
~ John 5:17-18
… I see nothing wrong with Butker’s statement. It seems a perfectly accurate assessment of the terrible new bill passed by Congress.
No splitting hairs. I am simply relating the evidence as given in the Gospels.
Fair enough. And I get that there is anti-semitism brewing at the moment because of Gaza. However, it’s a dangerous situation being set which threatens the Truth of our Christian Faith.
That you cannot criticise a race/religion/country etc… including Jews, for their errors without being labelled a racist/anti- Semite/bigot etc… no one is hating the Jews- Jesus Himself was a Jew. Our lady was a Jew, the disciples were Jews, St Joseph was a Jew. However the historical circumstances which led to Christ’s death, was as a result of the Romans taking direction from the Jews (from the top of the pecking order down to the common person who were Jewish), calling for Him to be sentenced to death. Yes Christ died for our sins and our sins nailed him to the cross, but it remains that His own people, the Jews, rejected Him as the Saviour. I’m not about to change my opinion of on this to accommodate the times, and I’m sure I’m not alone in my thinking.
If you can’t say that without being labelled an anti-Semite in the US, is Congress expecting people to say Martians called for Christs blood, so that nobody gets “offended”.
If that happened in Australia, I’d be saying the same thing.
Peace.
Eh, a few points seem to be in order:
First, the only hazardous anti-semitism I’ve heard these past few months has come from those claiming to be Palestinian advocates. That chant about “from the river to the sea” clearly aims to eliminate the nation-state of Israel.
…and as uncomfortable as they make Jewish people, …they still have the right to say it. Loudly. That’s what the basic nature of the First Amendment IS.
Yet those are still Palestinian advocates, not Catholics.
If they create an encampment or physically harm someone, THEN they can be prosecuted accordingly. Yet they need to prosecuted for crimes they actually commit, not for Thought Police hate crimes.
As far as who killed Jesus, the Passion narrative is very clear. Sandhedrin members had sought to “trap” Christ with Law. They failed several times, which often made them the more angry. One might argue how Satan partly blinded them from full knowledge of the grave act, thus they couldnt quite give complete consent of the will, thus did not quite sin mortally. ..They still demanded the Romans crucify Him as a heretic from Judaism. They even rejected Pilates’ suggestion to crucify Barabbas instead.
And don’t forget how Paul, the vigorous preacher of Christ risen, …had been Saul, who vigorously sought to stamp out the same preaching. ..he was far from alone.
One of the more legitimate critiques of John Paul II or Vatican II is how “outreach” efforts have a bad habit of somewhat downplaying human culpability in sin.