← The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Fr. Mike on the Charlie Kirk Shooting & The Real Cause of Violence
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If you've been rocked by all of the death, violence, and destruction in the news these past few weeks, you are not alone. Fr. Mike offers guidance during this difficult time, and reflects on Charlie Kirk's words: "When people stop talking, that's when you get violence." Fr. Mike filmed this video on September 12th, 2025 — two days after Charlie Kirk's assassination.
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Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is Ascension presents September 12th. Today. Yesterday was the 24th year, 24th anniversary of commemorating the terrorist attack on the United States of America. September 11th, obviously, the day before also had tragedy in Colorado with the school shooting, as well as the murder of Charlie Kirk. Two weeks before that, also more tragedy here in Minnesota with the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Element elementary School, as well as. I mean, just. There's so much violence, not just in this country, not just in this state, not just. There's so much suffering in this world. I hope. I hope that we look at the Twin Towers being attacked and say that was wrong. I hope that we look at any school shooting and say that is wrong. Like, horribly wrong. Evil. I've just seen people in the last 48 hours, though, go online saying, we're not so sure if this is wrong. Why am I talking about this? And here's the criticism. The criticism is like, Father Mike, why are you getting political? I'm not. I'm getting cultural. Also, Father Mike, there's a lot of devastating things going on. Why are you not bothered by them? I am bothered by them. Why are you talking about Charlie Kirk? Here's why. Not only because here's an innocent man who is now dead. Why? Because he went on college campuses and talked to students and professors and anyone who was willing to talk with him. That's a problem. But secondly, because it marks something in our society. I've heard people talk since. Since then about, like, the shootings and about stabbings and about the murder of Charlie Kirk and whatnot. And even about. About. About violence, any kind of violence. And people say, like, you know, some people are just sick. They'll say that. They'll say, some people are just sick. And now I'll say this. I don't know about the mental health of any of the people who are the aggressors here. I don't. I don't. I don't know that. So I'm not gonna. I can't weigh in on that. And I would not weigh in on that. There. There's such a thing as mental illness. And there are some things that, like, y. The result of some kind of untreated mental sickness that could be real. But I think just to say this is the result of that person's sick, I think that's incorrect. I think it's. I think it's wrong. Because here's what. Here's what I believe. I believe this. I believe that worldviews matter. I believe that what we believe about the world, about ourselves, about. About the world, I believe that matters. Now, here's what I believe about the world. I believe that God exists, that God is good, that. That God made this world good. He made human beings in his image and likeness. He made us good. But because he made us for love, he made us free. Because without freedom, we couldn't actually choose to love. But with that freedom, we can also choose to not love. And so that's what we did. We chose sin. And that choice broke the world. It broke a relationship with God, broke our relationship with each other, and even broke our own hearts. And so this is important for us. So in that sense, yes, it's sickness. We're all sick in that sense. The people are saying these are the actions of a sick individual. You are correct in the sense that we are all sick individuals. We all have that same brokenness now at varying degrees. But it all comes. But much of it comes down to worldview. What do I mean? Okay, now keep this in mind. Our worldview matters, but we know this. We know that we can believe one thing and do something else. What's that come from? That comes from that brokenness inside. So that's real. I can profess me. I can profess faith in Jesus. I can profess I trust Him. And then there are times when I turn my back on Him. There are times when I betray what I know to be true. So my worldview matters, but also my broken heart matters. That makes sense. But I can't take away from the fact that what we believe about this world, ourselves, about God, it matters. It makes a difference. Why? Because think about this. The terror attacks. If you really believe that America is the Great Satan and you believe that it's okay to attack the Great Satan, then yeah, you're completely justified to flying planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. If you believe that life is meaningless, like these school shooters, if you believe life is meaningless, this nihilism, then yes, before you take yourself out of this world, you think it's perfectly fine to do as much damage to innocent human life as possible. And when it comes to Charlie Kirk, if you believe that there's no such thing as objective reality, no such thing as objective truth, all there is is your truth and my truth, and someone is speaking against what you think is true, they're doing violence with their words. Now, I think this is really important because. Let's pause on this one for a second. There's some people who believe that all there is is subjective truth. Let's Define this quick. This will be a quick little lesson. What is truth? I would say this. I maintain the case that truth is simply what is right. A statement is either true or false to the degree that it conforms to reality. So if I were to say, there is a Christmas tree behind me, that statement is true to the degree that it conforms to reality. If I were to say, there's a palm tree behind me, that statement is not true because it does not conform to reality. It makes sense. Okay, so a statement is either true or false to the degree that it conforms to reality. That there's two kinds of truth. There's subjective truth and objective truth. Subjective truth is what people sometimes think is the more tolerant, but it's not. It's just what is subjectively true. For example, if I were to say, I like to talk a little quicker, and you might say, father, I don't like it when you talk quicker. Like, great, that's true for you, not true for me. And on the surface it seems like, well, that kind of true for you, not true for me is the more tolerant. It's the best way for us to get along in a pluralistic society. On the surface, that is true. But what happens if that's. If all we have is subjective truth? What happens though when we really, really disagree about what's true for you but not true for me or vice versa? What happens when we really like, oh, this is actually an important topic. Not just whether I like to speak fast or you don't like me to speak fast or whether you like Pepsi versus Coca Cola. We only have one of three options. If all we have is subjective truth, then our first option is, well, let's take a vote. And we say, okay, the majority wins. If the majority says X is true, then that's fine, that X is true. If the majority says that non X is true, then okay, non X is true. And all that is is mob rule. And we've seen so many examples of this over the course of history where a group of people says, oh, hey, we all think that this group of people is not. They aren't humans. They're not worthy of dignity. They're not equal to us. Like, wait, that's. That's wrong. So mob rule is not the answer number two. Well, we just say, okay, all we have is subjective truth. Might makes right. So whoever's stronger, whoever's louder, whoever's more powerful, whoever has more influence. Yeah, that's where we go in our culture. Or that's where we go in the world. And yet that's no way to live. Either we disagree, so I punch you, now I win. Or we disagree, so I shoot you and now I win. Or the third option is, you know, we just disagree. Someone says, you know, a is true. No, non, A is true. A is true. Non A is true. You know what? Let's just not talk anymore. You go live your life now. Think about this. We think that again, subjective truth and all. There is a subjective truth. If we say that is the best way to be tolerant, but it ends up either being mob rule, might makes right, or we're more divided than ever, there must be something more than subjective truth that we can pursue and that, thanks be to God, there is. It's called objective truth. Where there are certain things that are true at all times and all places for all people, and they're true or false regardless of whether you know it, like it or believe it. We at some point, when we're honest, we know that there are things that are true at all times at all places for all people, and they're true or false whether we know it, like it or believe it. Now here is what Charlie Kirk would do. He'd go on a college campus and he would say, he would have the mentality of like, of course I can tolerate your opinion. Of course I can talk and I can accept you. But let's debate objective reality. Like, I can accept that this is what you prefer, is what you think that's wonderful. But we're going to pursue together objective truth. And I would say this, I would maintain that that is more tolerant and that's more helpful for a holy and healthy and united society than anything else. Because we can't unite over what's true for you but not true for me. We can unite over, how about this? Every individual is endowed with certain inalienable rights by their Creator. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Let's just say that. Let's say that that's not just our preference or our subjective opinion, but let's imagine that that's actually objectively true, that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. Well, now, if we disagree on stuff, that's our starting point, is we're all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights to not have that worldview. Have the worldview that, oh, just true for you, but not true for me. And nothing more than that results in mob rule violence. We don't talk anymore. Charlie Crook was once asked on campus, many times, actually, he was asked on campus, why do you go on college campuses and have these discussions with these people, like, why do you want to keep provoking and having all these arguments? And he said, because when we stop talking, that's when the violence starts. Because those are two options. If all there is is subjective reality, either violence or we stop talking. That's why we need to talk about. If I'm going to maintain that all there is is subjective truth, I might imagine that I'm tolerant at first. But when we really disagree, I only have one of three options. And we saw the other day someone exercising one of those options. And I don't think that's acceptable for any of us. But if we were to say there is subjective but also objective truth, and we can pursue it. And I would say this worldview matters. And my worldview is that God exists. He's good. And he made each and every human being, regardless of color, creed, race, ethnicity, regardless of where they're from or where they, regardless of even their behavior, still have. Every human being still has dignity. And so I believe that in every conversation, that's our starting point. But I also believe that God wants more for every human being than we want for ourselves. That he wants us to come to know Jesus and to live with him forever. And that's our ending point. If that's our starting point, that you have dignity and you're loved by God and everyone has dignity, is loved by God. And our ending point, as God wants us all to be with him forever in heaven, then I can't just embrace as my mantra what's true for you, not true for me or you. Do you? I have to go beyond that, have to be willing to have those hard conversations because I believe this is the truth. Every one of us is made by God on purpose. And that purpose is he wants us to live with him forever. If that's how I see people, then I have to treat them that way. But here's the problem. I have a broken heart like everyone else. Even though my worldview says this is true, I sometimes don't live like that. And so I need grace. And every person we talk to needs grace. And even people who only believe in subjective truth and just say, you do you. They need grace. Because we all need grace. And thanks be to God, he gave us that grace in Jesus Christ. So I pray for all those kids who are still hurting, the kids who are killed, the kids who are still in intensive care right now, their families who are grieving, other politicians who have been attacked in any kind of way. People are at war, and families are destroyed and ripped apart. All of those things we have to care for all of them. For Charlie Kirk, for his family, and for you and for me. It matters what we believe. Our worldview matters. So what's your worldview? What do you believe? I know we're not all going to live it perfectly. We have those broken hearts. But what is your worldview? What do you believe and where does it lead from? All of us here at Ascension presents, My name is Father Mike. God bless.