“Love, Always Love”: Erika Kirk Extends Christ’s Forgiveness After Husband’s Assassination
- Denver Catholic Staff
- Sep 23
- 3 min read
In a moment of profound faith and witness to the Gospel, Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, stood before a grieving crowd on Sunday, September 21, and offered the radical forgiveness that only Christ makes possible.
Quoting Jesus’ words from Calvary, she declared:
“On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer, we know from the Gospel, is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
Revival, Not Violence
Rather than anger or unrest in the wake of the assassination, Erika pointed to an outpouring of faith.
“After Charlie’s assassination, we didn’t see violence. We didn’t see rioting. We didn’t see revolution. Instead, we saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country: we saw revival,” she said.
She described how many responded by turning back to God:
“This past week, we saw people open a Bible for the first time in a decade, we saw people pray for the first time since they were children, we saw people go to a church service for the first time in their entire lives.”
Her exhortation was clear: “Pray again, read the Bible again, go to Church next Sunday and the Sunday after that, and break free from the temptations and shackles of this world.”
Carrying the Cross
Erika reminded the faithful that her husband lived — and died — proclaiming Christ’s truth.
“Being a follower of Christ is not easy. It’s not supposed to be easy,” she said. “Jesus said, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.’ He said he would be persecuted, he said we would be persecuted, and Charlie knew that and happily carried his cross all the way to the end.”
She added that Charlie’s mission was to reach young people searching for meaning: “He wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life.”
Marriage and Mission
Erika also reflected on their marriage, which she described as a living witness to God’s design for the family. Charlie, she said, wrote her a weekly love note — always ending with the question: “Please let me know how I can better serve you as a husband.”
“Charlie perfectly understood God’s role for a Christian husband,” she said. “A man who leads so that he can serve.”
She urged men to embrace their vocations as spiritual leaders and protectors, and women to embrace their God-given role as guardians of the family, calling motherhood “the single most important ministry you have.”
A Turning Point Toward Christ
As she concluded, Erika challenged those gathered to continue her husband’s mission and to make their own decision for faith.
“Charlie’s life was a turning point for this country. It was a miracle. Let that miracle of his life be your turning point as well,” she said. “Choose prayer. Choose courage. Choose beauty. Choose adventure. Choose family. Choose a life of faith. Most importantly, choose Christ.”
In her grief, Erika Kirk offered the world a testimony rooted in Catholic truth: that mercy is stronger than vengeance, that family is a sacred vocation and that only in Christ is hatred overcome by love.
