Jesus is the King of Broken Hearts

Way back in 2017 I wrote an article for Catholic Stand called There is No Saint of the Brokenhearted. I wrote it because I wanted to know, for my own purposes , who should I pray to when I feel brokenhearted. As the title says, I learned that, while there are saints for everything from mice infestations to toothaches to computer problems, the Church has not designated a saint for the experience of having a broken heart. I decided this must be because broken hearts are the domain of Jesus himself, and no others. I stand by that assessment still, and if there is some specific theology or writing that confirms it, please direct it my way. But I think I’m right.

So I have been thinking about that for the past few days, ever since the nation learned of the assassination of Charlie Kirk last Wednesday. I knew who he was, though did not particularly follow his work and didn’t even know part of his mission was going to college campuses to debate people (especially those who disagree with him). All I know is that when I read he had been fatally shot, it suddenly felt like everything had changed and in addition to deep sadness for this person I had no paricular affinity for, I just felt so hopeless. It still feels a bit hopeless.

There are plenty of people who will analyze the left vs. right dynamic here, and which side is to blame, and which side has the worst rhetoric and the worst violent behavior. Read all of that you want. What I’d rather focus on is the desensitization our nation has experienced over the years on a range of things, as evidenced both by this cold-blooded assassination, and people’s willingness to watch the video of it. I did not watch the video, just as I did not watch the video making the rounds earlier just last week of the stabbing to death of an innocent Ukrainian refugee on the Charlotte light rail. How is it possible these videos ended up in the public domain? What are we doing?

I actually saw Jamie Lee Curtis had an interesting reaction to all this. Keep in mind this all happened the day before the anniversary of 9/11. She said, “We as a society are bombarded with imagery, so we don't know what the longitudinal effects of seeing those towers coming down over and over and over and over again. Or watching his execution over and over and over again.” Right! What are we poisoning our minds with, and what is downstream of this decision to collectively mentally, emotionally, and spiritually poison ourselves? I think we know the answer, and it is a broad sort of desensitization.

Just as I recently asked if cynicism is a sin, I wonder, is being desensitized and numb to suffering a sin? Is lack of feeling scandal a sin? Lack of disgust, a complacency, a complete checking out from what your fellow human beings suffer? Treating others as less than human?

When you look at the alleged killer’s mugshot, and even stills from his first (virtual) hearing, his face is basically expressionless. How could that be?

I don’t know if it’s a sin, but I know that, just as in the analysis of cynicism, you can know this desensitization by its fruits. Our society is rude, transactional, lacking in real relationships, thrilled by violence, completely okay with standing by while horrors are committed. It is - heart breaking.

So, what is the solution? Well, it is Jesus. That’s all. The answer to this and all heartbreaks is Jesus. That, evidently, is something Charlie knew well, based on what has been said about his faith. Praise God for that. And I truly believe he would have been glad to die a martyr because he posessed and lived that kind of moral courage for his faith.

So that’s all I think there is to do in these sorts of hopeless-feeling situations: turn to God, and pray. You can also think of what is in your own power and control to do in order to make the world a slightly better place. One thing would be to stop engaging with the various vehicles, particularly online, that glorify violence and dehumanization. That’s the news, video games, chat boards, whatever, that turns life from something real into a meme. But beyond that, being truly present to your family, friend, and coworkers, is the very first step.

I will be thinking more about what the term would be, whether it’s a sin or no, for the dangers of losing our humanity and its impacts on our spirituality. Not only that, but the antidotes - love, of course, and courage, mercy, forgiveness, and all the other virtues that are real and God-given. Virtues are gifts from God, unearned. Perhaps that is where I will direct my broken-hearted prayer: for an increase in my own virtue.

The canonizations of two faithful young adults

I will be missing my usual radio time this week, but will be back with John, Glen, and Sarah on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 8:20 am eastern. In the meantime, there is some big news in the church: this weekend, Pope Leo will canonize Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis. Carlo Acutis is the first millennial saint, being born in 1991. He was just 15 years old when he died. Pier Giorgio was born in 1901 but died at age 24. So, this is something people tend to focus on in discussing these two soon-to-be-saints: their youth. I have seen many takes along the lines of, “See! Young people, look! You can be holy like them, too!” And then a discussion of the novelty of how Carlo used the internet for evangelization. You know how those young people are with their computers!

I am being a little sarcastic here, but these takes do rub me the wrong way. I understand I am probably in the minority in that. But to me, every saint has something that everyone of any age and station can learn from or emulate, not just those who are demographically similar. It’s also a tad condescending to imply that it is exceptional when young people display holiness. The catalogue of saints is positively overflowing with children, teenagers, and young adults. Look at Maria Goretti, Joan of Arc, or St. Germaine Cousin. Pier Giorgio Frassati was the same age as St. Therese of Lisieux when she died. I’ve never heard anyone particularly fixate on her youth.

So instead, I’d point out the things from these saints that stand out to me aside from their youth: for Pier, it was both his optimism and love of the poor. Even some of this closest friends didn’t know the extent to which he visited and served the poor, until thousands of people showed up for his funeral. His most famous quote is, “Verso l'alto!" or, “To the heights!” He also said, "Jesus is with me. I have nothing to fear".

For Carlo Acutis, what stands out to me is how he was drawn to Mass and communion at a young age. From what I gather, his family were rather agnostic and it was by his request as a very young child that they began to attend Mass. From there, he maintained his faith, and it grew, even in the midst of growing up in a secular, 20th-century world. There are famously pictures of him hanging out with his friends, playing video games. So how did he do it? That’s what I want to know. How did he keep friends who were not as devout as him, and work on his eucharistic projects (using computers and the internet, as we know) without being seen by his secular friends as, well, weird? That’s what fascinates me. This is a big question for anyone, of any age, right now, when the culture at large is post-Christian. How do you live as a devout Catholic in a world which is opposed to just about everything you believe?

Nonetheless, this is a big occasion for the Church and the world. Carlo is the first millennial saint. They are canonized together for their similarities, one of which is, yes, their youth. To me, the bigger thing that unites them is their bravery. So, I pray that I may have their bravery, their love of the Lord, and to myself be with God in Heaven for eternity, as they most certainly are. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, pray for us!

A lively conversation on cynicism

On Thursday I was on Morning Air to talk about this topic I’ve had in mind, as to whether cynicism is a sin. As discussed, it’s not a sin in the traditional sense, but it is a “spiritual danger” that leads you into things that could be sins, or at the very least, negative attitudes - acedia (spiritual laziness), arrogance, faithlessness, and most of all, hopelessness. You can listen to the conversation here.

As for me, it is a reminder to keep the guardrails up: don’t let cynicism creep in, and certainly don’t accept it as a natural condition. I don’t think it is a natural condition, really. It is incumbent upon us to cultivate hope and love, really, every day. Is it a tall order some days? Yes. But in doing so you overcome yourself, greater sin, and therefore, greater unhappiness. You also open yourself up to the workings of the Holy Spirit. It is work worth doing!