The Olympic Games in Paris opened last night with great excitement and fanfare, only to be subjected to this “parody” of the Last Supper with Jesus and the Apostles replaced by men in drag. While I am not sure who in the Paris Olympic Committee thought this was a great idea, but it went over like a lead balloon on social media. Let’s take a look.
Shameful Disrespect or Art?
I guess it depends upon your perspective. I find “parodies” like the one forced on us last night as extremely offensive and disrespectful. I personally believe that there was a clear intent to insult our Lord and all followers of Jesus as well as Church teaching, but we really don’t know and frankly I honestly do not care. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. I won’t dignify the “artists” by mentioning their work, but suffice it to say there was no respect or reverence in any of the other works. I am sure that some of the “artists” went down this path purposely to garner attention, and it was attention they got. The reaction on social media was brutal and deservedly so.
We as Catholics and all Christians are not the only victims as this type of disrespectful event happens frequently with Jews. The recent protests against Israel supporting Hamas in the United States usually include the offensive phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” calling for the complete destruction of Israel. Did you ever notice that not one of these “artists” create art that disrespectfully depicts the Prophet Muhammed? Based on past history this is due to the response from the Muslim community. Fear can be an effective tool in controlling the narrative.
Should We Care If These “Artists” Disrespect Jesus and Our Faith?
While I think it is fair and we should be expected to voice our concerns and share our feelings about this disgusting event, as true followers of Jesus we will abide by His words in the Bible:
Matthew 5: 11-12: Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Luke 6: 35-36: But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.
Jesus was mocked and disrespected by many during His earthly ministry. Jesus never reacted or responded to the taunts or the verbal and physical abuse. Granted, scenes like we saw last night can be infuriating, but following Jesus is about peace, non-violence, and forgiveness. Jesus asks us to trust Him to address those that wrong us because of our beliefs. Remember, following Jesus is not easy, so let this be a time that we try and get closer to God by following Jesus’ words and actions.
What are your thoughts about this article? Do you agree or do you have a different perspective? All comments are welcome and encouraged. I will respond as quickly as I can. If you want to be alerted to future articles, please subscribe to the Faith 4 Today column (no cost involved), and the Patheos Catholic Channel at the bottom of the page.
God Bless
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