Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's commencement speech at Benedictine College has prompted national attention.
He boldly spoke out against abortion and called out national leadership for supporting the "murder of innocent babies." Harrison was absolutely right in his speech that Christians can not support the murder of babies. No person of good conscience can support killing a child.
At one point in his speech, Harrison addressed the female graduates. He spoke of his wife and how she "embraced one of the most important titles of all: homemaker."
In response, we're seeing a national debate about homemakers.
Being a homemaker is something to be proud of, and it is one of the most undervalued but important roles in our society. It's not an insult, it's an honor.
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
Being a homemaker includes work—lots of work. It occurs in and sometimes outside the home, depending on circumstances, callings, needs, and gifts. All this work is ultimately ordered toward love—loving our children, loving our spouse, and loving others.
I work outside the home, and I am a homemaker. My husband works outside the home, and he helps make our home in so many ways. Aspects of our roles may look more traditional than others, and I am always the primary caretaker of our very young children because very young children uniquely need their mothers.
Because the relationship a mother has with her child is by nature different than the relationship the father has with the child, roles within the home should reflect and support the mother's mothering.
This is where most of the "traditional" roles originate. It's not bad; it is good and healthy, although sometimes it can be misunderstood, misrepresented, or taken to unhealthy extremes.
There are so many extremes today: men wanting nothing to do with the home, women rejecting any "traditional" role, and in all of it, children are the ones who lose the most.
The very best homes for children are created by strong marriages where both men and women give 100 percent.
It can be easy to be too focused on oneself, on worldly success, on material things, and forget that our greatest calling as human beings is to love—first God, then others. For most of us, the call to love is to be lived out in families, families we may be privileged to build.
This is why the fight to end abortion includes the fight to correct selfish ideologies and set people free from the lies of the culture. Careers and success are important, but never at the expense of an unrepeatable child — a precious human life. Careers and worldly goods should always be ordered to serve God and others. This is why it's an especially perverse evil to sacrifice a child for a career instead of a career for a child.
One final thought: It may also be tempting for some to think that life will only begin once we get married or have children. That's not the Christian view.
Our life begins with every moment, the present moment and we are called to fully love and serve with whatever time we are given. No one is promised tomorrow, and no one is promised marriage or children.
So today, focus on loving, on taking the next right step, on seeking God. Also, remember: marriage is not the only vocation.
Some are called to live celibate vocations, like the priesthood and religious life. These are extremely beautiful, high callings, and are essential for the life of the Church.
After all, for the Christian, even something as beautiful as marriage and family life is just preparation for eternal life and perfect communion with God and His angels and saints.
To end abortion we must reject selfishness and embrace the truth that meaning comes from God and the care we give towards the precious people He created.
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