By Professor Timothy J.A. O’Donnell
Feast of St. Mary Killop 2023
The 4th of July is by far my favorite national holiday. Everything about it – here, what comes to mind are the three F’s: family, food, fireworks – signify our natural love of Country and heartfelt gratitude to those whose sacrifices built this land of the free. The blessings of America are too numerous to count. Over time things change. What changed for my family was war and the multiple deployments of our two sons to fight in them. Over the course of a decade the celebration of holidays together became more precious and rarer. The annual cadence of the holidays was replaced with the cycle of readiness, deployment, and return. And no one came home the same.
We celebrated the 4th this year with one of our sons and his new girlfriend having discharged from the military a couple of years ago. In our little town of North Vernon my wife and I enjoyed the time with family, grilled out burgers and dogs (charcoal only, please), and saw the best fireworks EVER!
Fireworks on the 4th of July is the sound of freedom.
But there’s another Sound of Freedom. This is the name of a film released on the 4th of July. This is the incredible true story of a former government agent Tim Ballard who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from sex traffickers.
The Sound of Freedom isn’t the best film I’ve ever seen.
It is the most significant film I have ever seen.
Why? What makes the film so important? Other films such as Schindler’s List are magnificent works of art depicting the horror of the holocaust and the unlikely persecutor of Jews, Oskar Schindler, as he is transformed to their protector. Yet the film is limited by its historicity. The story, as compelling as it is, resides in the confines of history as an artifact. It is in the past. Contrast this with the Sound of Freedom. Yes, it does tell the heartbreaking and inspiring story from a decade ago exposing the daring exploits of Tim Ballard and others rescuing children from the horrendous sex trade. But the tragedy of captive children being violently abused is happening now, happening tomorrow, and will happen in all our tomorrows – unless we stop it.
God’s Children Are Not for Sale
Spoiler. Jim Caviezel plays Tim Ballard the federal agent who relinquishes his job and pension to dedicate his life to saving children from the clutches of the vile and depraved sex traffickers. The harsh, unthinkable reality is that unlike illegal drugs that are sold and consumed only once, a child can be sold and resold for violent abuse over and over. Sickening and heart-rending. Seizing the moment in one scene Jim Caviezel confronts a deviant with stunning moral clarity: “God’s children are not for sale.” This simple yet powerful truth becomes the maxim for his entire life. The title of the film draws from a scene of children released from their cruel captivity engaging in song and music. It is the sound of freedom.
Allow me to speak to the features of the film. The production value and cinematography are top-notch. As Catholics and fellow Christians, we have learned to enter the theatre with low expectations, i.e., low budget, inferior quality sets, minimal special effects, culminating in a weak or lackluster foundation for an otherwise faith-based story to rest. That is not the case with Sound of Freedom. The producers and directors accomplished a masterful telling of this story with brilliant acting by Jim Caviezel (as Tim Ballard) and others. The child actors are especially moving, sympathetic, and above all – HEROIC – throughout this inspiring film. The children are the heroes. There’s an outstanding interview of the film by Jordan Peterson with Tim Ballard (the actual federal agent) and Jim Caviezel available here.
You will ask, how is a movie about child sex trafficking inspiring? The answer is a single word: actionable. We – you and I – can do something about it. Tim Ballard founded Operation Underground Railroad “OUR” to combat this pestilence on humanity that seeks to devour our children. The “OUR” organization leads the fight against child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation around the globe.” OUR has been:
INVOLVED IN
4000+
OPERATIONS
IMPACTED
7000+
LIVES
(RESCUES/AFTER CARE)
INVOLVED IN
6500+
ARRESTS
(Source: https://ourrescue.org)
The Greatest in the Kingdom
At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. – Matt 18:1-5
Temptations to Sin
Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come! If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna. – Matt 18:6-9
Human Trafficking with its voracious appetite to devour children is a multibillion-dollar global industry. According to the White House FACT SHEET: The National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking there are approximately 25 million people being trafficked or subject to forced labor resulting in profits annually of over $150 billion. Compounding this harm is the misery, cruelty, and shattered lives this crime causes. We must do better. We must do more.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Timothy O’ Donnell is a scholar and speaker whose commitment to the Pro life cause and Religious Liberty spans over twenty
years. Deeply committed to championing the sanctity of human life, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Catholic Theology from Marian University and completed a Masters degree in Catholic Life and Thought from Saint Meinrad School of Theology. Timothy has performed extensive studies and research in cultural, political, economic, and theological disciplines including post graduate theological studies a t the University of Notre Dame.
Timothy is a member of both the American Catholic Philosophical Association and the National Catholic Bioethics Center and well equipped to teach, speak, and discuss a wide range subjects in particular those at the intersection of Faith and Reason including Moral Theology, Ethics, Virtue Theory, Natural Law, Bioethics, Church History, Catholic Social Doctrine, Political Philosophy, Mariology, the writings of St. John Paul the Great, Euthanasia, Death Penalty, Abortion, and Natural Law Theory. For over a decade he has attended Acton Institute’s Acton University and participated as a scholar in multiple colloquiums studying the principles that build a free and virtuous society.
No stranger to the media, he cohosts The Catholic Cave on Catholic Radio Indy, which focuses on making Catholic philosophy and the rich intellectual tradition of Holy Mother Church accessible to the laity and applying it to current issues. He speaks and debates publicly and has been active with YouTube video interviews. Concerned with cultural issues, he has lectured at Benedictine College’s Symposium for the New Evangelization commenting on totalitarianism, politics, law, ethics, and artificial intelligence. Currently he has served as the Director of Religious Education for a decade teaching primarily Adult Faith Formation and teaches at the undergraduate and graduate level. Tim also serves on several Boards for various non profits and charities.