(LifeSiteNews) — Recently I was called by a funeral home upon the death of a young man who had overdosed on drugs at age 33. It was one of those experiences which priests might not hope for, but which can turn out to be fortuitous opportunities (even indications of the Holy Spirit at work).
A number of the deceased’s friends were present, and it became clear to me immediately that some were as involved with drugs as he was.
If ever there was what you’d call a “teachable moment,” this was it. I spent about 20 minutes pointing out the dim prospects those young people faced if they continued on this path of indulgence.
Did I change any minds?
I’d like to think the experience will do them some good. But being realistic, the drug culture is so pervasive in our nation that I’m not sure everyone got the point of what I was saying – or of what they could see with their own eyes as the corpse of their friend lay before them.
Sadly, some will likely die the same way he did.
Ours is a society in which drug paraphernalia can now be acquired from vending machines. This is being tried in New York City, and you can expect it will be rolled out across the country.
The rationale for such convenience is: “Well, at least the products are new and sterile. Users won’t have to steal them or pass them along from hand to hand.” Never mind that this encourages even more drug use, and therefore more addiction and more deaths.
These are dark days in our nation, and the drug plague is only one effect of the evil forces that have brought on the darkness.
During this time when that young drug user died, the news has been full of controversy about a pre-game show planned by the Los Angeles Dodgers in recognition of “Pride Month.” Special guest performers are to be members of the gay street theater troupe, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
These imitation “nuns” are homosexual men who dress in traditional religious habits, with faces made up like clowns, harlequins, or prostitutes. Their displays raise money for AIDS prevention and various other LGBT causes while promoting so-called “safe sex.”
Ironically, they also feature anti-drug use messages.
Now, I’m not talking about a small group of local exhibitionists here. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have been around since the late 1970s. Today they run an international network that includes affiliates throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as South America, and Australia.
READ: John-Henry Westen to speak at rally protesting Dodgers’ promotion of anti-Catholic drag ‘nuns’
What’s the essence of their shows? Mocking Christian sexual morality, insulting the Catholic Church, and blaspheming Christ and the Holy Mass.
A highlight of their act is a pole dance using a crucifix. They close their vile extravaganzas with a parody of Jesus’ words, “Go and sin some more.”
This is indeed sin, in all its ugliness. Sadly, it’s the Dodgers, one of our greatest sports institutions – in many ways “America’s team,” the epitome of “motherhood, baseball and apple pie” – that is presenting, and presumably endorsing, such a bizarre spectacle of shameful, debauched, perverted, subhuman behavior.
(That the Dodgers originated in Brooklyn is a special heartache to me, a hometown boy who’s followed the team since childhood days.)
The Prince of Darkness is having his hour. He ridicules our faith, because he knows it’s the true faith. He understands the power of that faith and the power of the Mass. Otherwise he wouldn’t waste his time.
Tragically, we’ve reached a state of such moral confusion that society often cooperates in his efforts. That’s evident in such incidents as the recent arrest of a protestor for quoting scripture across the street from a so-called “Pride” event in Reading, Pennsylvania. Charges were eventually dropped when it was shown that the fellow had done nothing more than speak (in accordance with his constitutional right to do so).
But to be arrested – and put in handcuffs – for scripture?
The Father of Lies is laughing at us.
READ: Charges dropped after police arrest Christian man who quoted Bible across from LGBT ‘Pride March’
Satan’s desire is to destroy souls and take them away from God. He wants to mute God’s Word. He wants us to act as less than human beings. And two of his favorite approaches to accomplishing this are blasphemous mockery and drugs.
Yet, we can detect some small points of light amid the moral darkness of our time.
In recent weeks, the body of Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster, foundress of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of Apostles, was exhumed so that it could be moved into a new chapel at the order’s motherhouse in Gower, Missouri, near Kansas City.
Noting that the simple wooden coffin was cracked, the sisters peered inside and observed that Sr. Wilhelmina was in remarkably good shape. In fact, she looked exactly the same as when she had been buried four years earlier. Her body, which had not been embalmed, appears incorrupt.
Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. of the Diocese of Kansas City has issued a statement suggesting that the process for declaring this African American nun a saint may begin soon.
Sr. Wilhelmina had grown up in segregated Missouri, and she experienced an encounter with Jesus that was more powerful than any drug. The Lord told her that He wanted her to stay close to Him. And she complied.
As an adult, she established a special charism for the highly traditional order she founded: to pray the rosary, and to pray for priests.
This is sanctity. Sr. Wilhelmina was a real nun, not some blasphemous homosexual fantasy.
God is still with His people.
This essay is based on a homily delivered by Fr. Orsi. It can be viewed online here.
A priest of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, Rev. Michael P. Orsi currently serves as parochial vicar at St. Agnes Parish in Naples, Florida. He is host of “Action for Life TV,” a weekly cable television series devoted to pro-life issues, and his writings appear in numerous publications and online journals. His TV show episodes can be viewed online here.