Our Faith is no Joke

In case you didn’t hear or see the news about it, the L.A. Dodgers are honoring a group of men who dress in drag and mock the Catholic faith with a “Community Hero” award.  The members of this anti-Catholic group dress in habits and call themselves the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.  The group’s motto is, “Go forth and sin some more, " a distasteful twisting of Jesus’ command to “go and sin no more.”  Each of them takes on a vulgar religious name when they join the group and they also mock the various steps in the formation process that Catholic religious women go through (postulancy, novitiate, etc.) when joining an order.  They host lewd and sacrilegious events such as a Midnight Confessional Contest held at a bar, dressing up as Jesus carrying a cross and then performing a pole dance on the cross, a Free Choice Mary pro-abortion event, mock masses with wafers and tequila, and many more acts that are more obscene and sickening than you can imagine.  After the Dodgers received criticism and objections from Catholics, the Dodgers rescinded their invitation to the drag group.  However, a week later, the Dodgers caved to the pressure of LGBTQ groups and proponents, issued an apology, and reinvited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be honored at the stadium.  This whole situation is just one example of how the Catholic faith is viewed by the world.  If it were any other group of people being mocked in this kind of way, there would be an immediate stop put to it and it would be widely condemned.  But Catholicism has become some sort of punching bag for our society and people just go along with it.  Our faith is under attack in big ways such as the above example and in smaller, more discreet ways every single day.  
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Jesus was clear that we would experience persecution as a result of following Him and being part of the Church, so we should not be surprised when it happens.  And thankfully, we live in a country where we do not have to fear for our physical safety when attending mass or praying in public.  While we likely will not face a situation where we have to die for our religious beliefs, the reality is that we still will be hated by the world because of His name (John 15:18-21).  This must not stop us from living out our faith.

Whether it’s in music, movies, TV shows, any sort of entertainment outlet, or just in the jokes of others, our faith is often the target for inappropriate comments, ridicule, or parodies.  Our culture is hostile to Catholics, and especially to those who are serious about living it out.  It can be easy to become discouraged or tempted to hide our faith, turning it into something private.  But our faith is meant to be shared with others.  We must persevere and strive to imitate Christ each day, while taking a stand against those who think our faith is a joke.

Many people just go with the flow or say that there are bigger issues to worry about.  But if our faith is important to us, we will not accept people mocking or defiling it.  We must continue to stand up for the truth and not be ashamed to let the world know not only who we are as Catholics, but more importantly, who Jesus is.

People are starving for the truth and for the love of Christ, even if they don’t realize it.  And it is in this longing and searching that they target what is sacred and valuable.  I don’t think so many people would attack and mock Catholicism if it wasn’t good, true, and beautiful.  In the midst of a culture that hates Catholicism, we must remain firm in our beliefs and stand up against the attacks against our faith.

Dear Jesus, you faced the ultimate persecution.  Thank you for showing us the way.  Help us to recognize the cost of discipleship and strengthen us so that we may persevere through the hardships in order to follow you.  Set us apart so that we would not conform to the ways of the world.  Give us courage so that we would not be afraid to be persecuted for your sake.  May we strive to imitate you and bring your love and compassion to all we encounter, especially to those who are hostile towards you.  Amen.