Don’t Be Buthurt by Butker: Truth is Hard

In less than a week, Harrison Butker’s commencement speech for Benedictine College in Kansas has had almost one million views. The secular world and left-leaning Catholics are losing their minds.

Let’s break down his stance, the Catholic teaching on proclaiming the truth, and why the world is going crazy over it.

Butker Basics

Harrison Butker, 28, is a football player for the Kansas City Chiefs and gave a commencement speech for Benedictine College on Saturday, May 11th. He is married to a woman he knew since middle and choked up while mentioning his love for her. He’s an attendee of The Latin Mass and speaks of his Catholic beliefs and the importance of tradition. He admits to becoming more bold and outspoken about his beliefs and shares those beliefs in his speech.

“We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.”

Butker talks about politics a bit, but leans more heavily on the worldly ways and its effect on Catholic society. He speaks about priests needing to be priests and not caught up in the world. He also talks about vocation and the beauty of a parental vocation. Most importantly, he speaks of the dangers of speaking up and telling the Catholic truth, the hard truth, and facing persecution for doing so.

Catholic Truth

Our world too easily gets defensive before considering the intent and meaning of a message. We’re groomed for insult of late, but if we look honestly into all Butker says, we’ll find more truth than we may like.

“Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ,” (Eph 4:15)

But truth is hard to live by in a world that rejects it, and certainly in a world whose leaders who claim to be Catholic are pro-abortion. We are persecuted for honesty and righteousness, and Jesus said we would be.

“In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” (Jn 16:33)

The hardest things to say in the world today are the things that challenge the status quo.

Life begins at conception.

Women are women and men are men.

All glory and honor belong to God and to God alone.

Boast any of these statements in any way and be instantly ousted by secular society. Deny them, and be embraced by the world.

“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.” (Jn 15:18-19)

But we are called to proclaim the truth (CCC 2472) and must do so for our own souls and the souls of those around us. We must bear witness, and that’s what Butker is doing.

The Buthurt Lies

Much of what he said is misconstrued or taken wrong. So here’s a couple of the most heated arguments over things Butker never said.

Women Must Forgo Careers and Become Homemakers

Butker praises his wife and speaks lovingly of her vocation of being a homemaker, wife and mother. He clearly sees her joy and wishes to share that with the women who are listening. He urges them to realize the beauty of motherhood as the most beloved vocation for women.

This is beautiful, not insulting. He even mentions her role to help him not lose himself in his career as his role as father is ultimately more important as well.

He never once says women shouldn’t have careers. He never once scorns women who cannot have children or aren’t married. He’s merely pointing out the most honorable of vocations for women and urging women to embrace and prioritize it.

As a working mom of three who was at one point the bread-winner, I am not offended by his statements. (As a Bostonian, it takes a lot to offend me, but I digress.) Of all the hats I’ve ever worn, wear now, or ever will wear, motherhood is by far the most rewarding—taxing, exhausting, challenging, yes, but rewarding.

What Butker doesn’t say is his thoughts on women who choose vocations outside of marriage. It’s not something he comes to address, and so many assume he’s discounting it. The Benedictine sisters even issue a seemingly not too pleased response to his comments on the matter. Were this a speech about all women’s vocations, he would likely have addressed this, but it wasn’t. He was addressing women who are graduating and most likely seeking careers. Context matters.

Your Mass isn’t Valid Unless it’s Latin

Butker is so in love with the holiness of the Latin Mass, that he goes so far as to urge people to move to where it’s available. He states its tradition and beauty outweigh any misgivings about a community’s priest or congregation. He emphasizes the Mass itself as being the pinnacle of worship… because it is. (CCC1324)

Butker never says you don’t love God if you don’t go to TLM. He never says the Novus Ordo is invalid. There are some TLM goers who do say this, but Butker does not state that. In fact, he acknowledges that there are some prideful TLM goers, but that the majority are kind and humble and simply love TLM for its richness in tradition and sanctity.

He’s simply pointing out something beautiful he found and urges others to find this beautiful thing as well. Nothing wrong with that.

For those outside of an area with TLM, maybe you have options, maybe you don’t. We must do what we can to honor God and follow His Will for our lives. Butker does not oppress that in his proclamation of TLM.

Butker, Context, and Truth

Honestly, a young man such as Butker living in the prime of his early adulthood and addressing a room full of new Catholic grads who are about to embark on their next chapter in life has a very specific niched task. Butker was not speaking to every demographic, on every topic, or diving into the details of every point. He boasted of his joy in what he discovered in his marriage and in TLM. He urged the new grads to consider living holy lives and being around others who will help them lead holy lives. He spoke of the way of the world today and the priority of God’s way and the truth.

He is no theologian, but he is a man devoted to God, devoted to his wife, and enthusiastic to encourage others to find the same beauty he’s found. Let’s read his speech or watch it here with that in mind and pray for his and our own salvation.

“But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.” (1 Pt 3:14-16)