“It is ironic that in these violent times, we need fresh evidence of the devil.” Flannery O’Connor wrote these words in 1962, and they are even more poignant today.

Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist, a devoted Christian, a husband and father, was gunned down on Sept. 10, while speaking at Utah Valley University. A single shot shattered the lives of his two small children, who will grow up without him at their side.  

Months before, Kirk was asked in an interview how he wanted to be remembered. “You mean if I die?” he replied, somewhat surprised. Then he said, “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith.” Those who revel in this man’s death, those who say he got what he deserved, are keeping the demon of violence alive. St. John writes about the danger of harboring hatred in our hearts: “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 Jn 3:15).  

We have so much evidence of the devil working in our world. Two children were shot and killed, and many more were injured in Minneapolis, while they were praying at Mass. A young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, was slaughtered while riding on a train. A horrific bloodbath was unleashed in Idaho by a serial killer. Watching the killer in the courtroom on TV, I was struck by the expression on his face, when he stared directly at the camera. For just a second, it was like looking at a demon.  

Bloodthirsty killings are all too common in the Bible. The brutal death of Abel at the hands of his own brother, Cain, would make headlines in today’s newspapers. Crushing his brother’s head with a rock is an act of inestimable hatred. We have the horrific slaughter of the babies by King Herod’s soldiers after the birth of Christ. The beheading of John the Baptist, who was killed for speaking the truth, and the stoning to death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, whose face was “like the face of an angel.” 

How tempting it is to try to excuse ourselves from harboring violent tendencies. When Jesus was at the Last Supper and told the disciples one of them would betray him, each one was surprised. “Is it I, Lord?” they asked. Right before Judas betrayed Jesus, we are told Satan entered his heart. Violence does not have to be expressed with a rock or a knife or a gun. It can be the festering of revenge for old wrongs that we refuse to forgive. It can be the fury we feel when someone disagrees with our point of view. It can be done with a kiss.  

Rather than get discouraged, it helps to remember Christ’s healing power. He healed Mary Magdalene of seven demons, and she was later the first person to see him after the Resurrection. The man who was present at Stephen’s stoning was Paul, who used to drag Christians from their homes for their executions. Paul later had a stunning conversion experience when Jesus asked him, “Why do you persecute me?”  

Hating others, being angry with them, refusing to forgive them—these are the ways we persecute Christ in our own lives. When we read the headlines, let us be moved to prayer and compassion, not anger and revenge. After all, the demons of violence cannot fit into a heart that is filled with the love of Christ.