Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said he is staying true to his convictions in his first public remarks since criticism erupted over his commencement address at Benedictine College earlier this month, the Daily Wire reported.
Butker on Friday defended the "Catholic values" expressed in his commencement speech, including encouraging women to be "homemakers," but a petition for "sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion and racist" Butker to be fired from his NFL position has gathered more than 100,000 signatures on Change.org
Butker said: "If it wasn't clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now. Over the past few days, my beliefs — or what people think I believe — have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe. At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate."
Butker added that over his years as an NFL player, "the more I've talked about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I have become. It's a decision I've consciously made and one I do not regret at all."
He continued: "If we have truth and charity, we should trust in the Lord's providence and let the Holy Ghost do the rest of the work.
"Our love for Jesus — and, thus, our desire to speak out — should never be outweighed by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world. Glorifying God and not ourselves should always remain our motivation, despite any pushback or even support.
"I lean on those closest to me for guidance, but I can never forget that it is not people, but Jesus Christ, who I'm trying to please."
Butker added he was "humbled" by the backing he received from many people and that all the backlash against him cannot compare to the "courage many saints have shown in their lives."
"If I constantly remind myself of the hardships the saints went through — especially the martyrs in their persecution — it makes it all seem not so bad. For if heaven is our goal, we should embrace our cross — however large or small it may be — and live our life with joy to be a bold witness to Christ," Butker said.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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