Harrison Butker: The Good, the Bad, and the Dumb

Recent events have convicted me to respond to the viral speech from Harrison Butker, a kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs. Harrison and I have some very key things in common and also some major differences. 

Harrison is 28, I am 34. We are both married. He was married in 2018, and I was married in 2022. He married his high school sweetheart, I married a woman I found a bit later in life. He has two children with his wife. My wife and I currently do not have kids. We are both practicing Catholics. He currently has a $36 million salary. I doubt I will see that much money my way for a long time if ever. We will have different perspectives, but I do not believe this will be the sole source of the contention I have experienced since reading the speech.

Now, I know some will want to bash me for speaking against a brother. I am not speaking against him. I am correcting him. It is our duty to do so. Christ gave us such instructions in the Gospel of Matthew: “If your brother sins [against you], go and tell him his fault…If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18: 15-18)

Harrison has not sinned against me or anyone in particular per say, but he has made some grievous errors and should be corrected. Saint Paul reminds us: “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles, in opposition to the teaching that you learned; avoid them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent.” (Romans 16: 17-18) Do I believe Harrison is intentionally creating dissension and obstacles? No, not from what I am able to determine. Do I believe he is serving his own appetites and intentionally deceiving the hearts of the innocent? I do not see any evidence of that. However, I do see some serious confusion over the truth of the faith versus personal preferences. 

I do not believe Harrison is wanting to act out of any kind of malice or has any ill intent towards his audience. I believe ignorance is to blame if we are to blame anything. From his own speech: “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..” It is clear to see that Harrison is theologically ignorant as illustrated by this and several other comments. We need to study our faith. We need to read Scripture, not just hear it at Mass. Study the Catechism, not just blindly believe what an authority says but double check this is correct according to our faith. Do research about topics we do not know a lot about and use discernment to find good resources if we have questions posed to us that we do not know the answers to. This will be my first correction: Harrison, my brother, I love you, but theological ignorance and bad catechesis is a major part of what got us the “chaos in our parishes, and sadly, in our cathedrals” in the first place. 

The first place of the knowledge of God is the home. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The Christian home is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family home is rightly called ‘the domestic church,’ a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity.” (CCC 1666) For a man who expressed so much love of family in his speech Harrison should also realize that if the head of the household - the husband and father - is theologically ignorant, then the domestic church is in deep trouble and the greater Church will have chaos as we have seen play out over the decades because the laity are so theologically ignorant and have suffered from poor catechesis. 

Now, Harrison does have a good point regarding priests if they neglect their role as spiritual leaders. “...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.” Our priests need to be our spiritual fathers, but they are human and sometimes do need a helping hand and some companionship. Leading such lives is not easy, and I applaud Harrison for mentioning praying for our priests and vocations to the priesthood. 

However, he also went into priest and bishop bashing, which I did not care for. “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.” If a priest is relying on the adulation of their parishioners, yes, they are not fulfilling their duty and are doing this for the wrong reasons and should re-evaluate. However, we as the laity should show our clergy charity. Priests have a life of solitude and it can be lonely. They have grave responsibilities. These responsibilities can lead to alcoholism that mirrors the general population of 10-12% according to Guest House, an addiction treatment center for clergy. We need to look out for our priests and have a degree of familiarity. This could avert or at least warn us of such tragedies. I have worked in a parish office, my father is a deacon, so that has afforded me some familiarity with parish priests. I am grateful for this familiarity. It helped me through so many issues in my life and led me to where I am now. My familiarity does not breed contempt. Also side note: the use of Taylor Swift in this context is just stupid and plain out lame pandering. I suppose I should just shake it off.

Here are some solid points from his speech: “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.” I wholeheartedly agree. “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.” Nothing wrong here.

“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.” Not sure why this fits in a commencement speech, but I fact checked it and it is true. 

“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.” If he is speaking about Doctor Anthony Faucci he recently did an interview where he was proud to say he was not practicing his Catholic faith, but still a solid point from Harrison. Too many pull the “I went to Catholic school” or “I was raised Catholic” card and preach heresy or things that are simply not correct about the faith. We need to be better. 

Harrison said, “...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.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, “Christ did not come to make us nice people.” So solid points from Harrison.

Despite these solid points, many untrue ones were also professed. He took a shot at Natural Family Planning much to my dismay. “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.” First off, it is not Catholic birth control. It is natural. The Catechism states: “A particular aspect of this responsibility concerns the regulation of procreation. For just reasons, spouses may wish to space the births of their children. It is their duty to make certain that their desire is not motivated by selfishness but is in conformity with the generosity appropriate to responsible parenthood.” (CCC 2368) NFP is the answer to this dilemma that faces many Catholic couples who are trying their best to be wise in their family planning while following the guidelines of Mother Church. NFP is actually not just for conceiving or avoiding conceiving a child. It is a helpful tool for health for women. If a woman who is charting is noticing unusual activity with her body, she would have the first indication something may be wrong or out of order with her body. There are some like Harrison who have spoken against NFP saying things like “God did not want us to have this knowledge” What a load of bunk! If God did not intend for us to have knowledge of our own biologies and bodies He would not have given us inquisitive minds. Why would He allow someone like Gregor Mendel, a monk, to discover the idea of genetics? This is just a bad faith, ignorant, and dumb posturing from someone who either did not pay attention or did not attend a NFP class before marriage. 

Harrison did talk directly to women, “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.’” Now on principle I can agree the outside world gives a lot of noise to the “boss babe” culture and it can do some enormous damage to women. There was an article recently published on how some women who decided to focus on careers are feeling unfulfilled because they did not marry and/or have children. This is a tragedy and an insidious plot by Satan to undermine the family and to destroy the domestic church. However, not all women are called to marry or become homemakers. Some are called to marry and have a career. Some are called to the single life. Some are called to religious life. Someone I respect a great deal became a consecrated virgin and has a doctorate in astrophysics. (Yes, I know some cool people.) I do not believe Harrison meant to do this, but his comments may have discouraged a lot of young women from pursuing their careers or vocations that God was calling them to or made Catholic women in the workforce feel as though they are going against their faith. I have no qualms about going against “boss babe” culture. My wife would probably beat me to the punch, but we both were a bit put off by these comments.

“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.” Men do need to step up. We need not be discouraged. Frankly, elements of this could have been directed toward the ladies as well.

“I've been very vocal in my love and devotion to the TLM (Traditional Latin Mass) 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 have known a few people who prefer the TLM to Norvis Ordo. Some of them are heartfelt Catholics who believe the TLM is more reverent or the proper way but have no ill will towards a reverent NO. However, many TLM folks I have encountered are the most conceited, arrogant people I have ever met. They spit on Vatican II and the saints who presided the council. Now Vatican II had some issues, but that is for another post. I hope Harrison is not one of those folks, but the content of this speech gives off a lot of the air some of the more unpleasant TLM folks I have encountered also gave. By spitting on Vatican II in this way, you are implying that you know more than Saints John XXIII and Paul VI.

“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.” Harrison, my brother, I will not just simply brush you off and say “shut up and kick the darn ball”; however, I will encourage you to do some reading. Break open some scripture and the Catechism, open up some Vatican documents or writings of the saints. It will do you a lot of good. Also, maybe you should follow your own advice and stay in your lane for a bit until you are better equipped to go into this battlefield. I say this with as much love, charity, and kindness as I can muster.

“I say all of this not from a place of anger...” I too do not speak from a place of anger. I speak from exasperation, my brothers and sisters. Let us not canonize Harrison Butker. Yes, we should be happy we have what appears to be a good Catholic man speaking out, but we should discern if what he is saying is for good or ill. If he is wrong, we correct him in charity. If he is right, we praise. 

I know some will be very angry with me for posting this. “The media hates Catholics'' No duh. Frankly, I couldn't care less what the media says. I would mock them with extreme prejudice. The devil hates to be mocked. Let us not fall into the trap of extremes. It is a trap. *cue Admiral Ackbar meme. As a brilliant brother Catholic would often tell his children “dumb isn’t fun.” Let us not be dumb. I wish Harrison well. I will pray for him and his family. I sincerely hope on the off chance he reads this that he will know I am not here to damn him. I would be happy to have a forthright conversation with him and anyone who has issues with what I wrote. You know where to find me.