En Fuego: How Satanists Backhand Compliment Catholicism

I just recently visited a Bendictine monastery up in Oklahoma. I found it interesting that, posted in several places throughout the monastery, is the letter of an archbishop asking all Catholics to pray for the Satanic Black Mass to be cancelled today on September 21. Makes sense because the monastery is located in the middle-of-nowhere of Oklahoma and the Black Mass is happening in Oklahoma City.

The temptation right now is to talk about this Satanic Black Mass from an angle of whether they should or should not or whether public/private places should even hold such things simply because that's what's been covered in media. But that's not what I want to talk about. Here's a mass media article to help provide a little insight.

In my very light research of a Satanic Black Mass, I found out that while there can be some variation as to what actions or ceremonies are done within a Black Mass, it essentially is based off of a Catholic Mass. A Black Mass is a mockery and parody of the Catholic Mass. Perhaps for some, this is not a big deal because Mass is long and boring. For Catholics Who Care, that's terrible because it takes our highest form of prayer and desecrates it. But that's not what I want to talk about.

What's often required for a Satanic Black Mass is a consecrated host. In Catholic terms, this is the Eucharist. Our communion bread. A consecrated host means that the piece of unleavened bread has undergone the traditional ritual since The Last Supper which transforms this bread into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. That's a long winded exhortation of theological matters, but that's not what I want to talk about. Just note that Catholics believe that the Eucharist is truly Jesus.

So, they mock the Catholic Mass and desecrate the Eucharist.

They. mock. the. Catholic. Mass. and. desecrate. the Eucharist. They invoke Satan and try to cast out the Holy Spirit. They desecrate the (consecrated) host with bodily fluids. And other things.

See, as terrible and targeted as this is, I think these two facts are, in a somewhat farfetched way, back handed compliments for Catholicism.

Farfetch'd from Pokémon, to illustrate the point

First of all, it's a Black Mass. Not a Satanic Black Worship Service. Not a Satanic Black Bible Study. Not a Satanic Black Prayer Meeting. A Satanic Black Mass. Very intentional that it mocks the Catholic Mass. Which leads me to think that the Catholic Mass seems to be worth mocking. And our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters should be seriously offended that their forms of worship aren’t the model for a Satanic Black Mass.

Second of all, while most Christians believe that their hosts are merely symbolic of Jesus’ Body, only Catholics believe in the fullness of truth regardingthat during a Catholic Mass, the host becomes Jesus’ body, blood, soul, and divinity after consecration. Sure, some other mainline Protestants also believe that theirs become Real too, but not with the same full understanding that the Catholic Church has. Oh, and Satanists affirm the Catholic understanding. They believe it really is Jesus, too. That’s why they strive to steal the Eucharist from Catholic parishes. There’s no way to obtain one unless one goes to Mass, take one, and try to leave with it. Or they attempt to break into a Catholic parish and steal it from the tabernacle. Again, most Christians don’t believe it’s Real. But Satanists do! That’s so crazy! That’s why Satanists want to desecrate the Eucharist because they know it’s Jesus! They would have to settle for a symbolic ritual of desecration by using communion wafers that you can buy leisurely at LifeWay. Or something. Again, our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters should be offended that their form of matter for communion isn’t the first preference.

As they think that they’re doing the right thing by opposing the influence of God and the Catholic Church, they provide some interesting backhand compliments.

So, should I be honored that this Black Mass is happening tonight? Should I be angry because they’re taking two very important things to me (the Mass and the Eucharist) and spitting (literally) on them?

I’m not honored but perhaps slightly flattered that the elements of my Christian spiritual life are the ones worth targeting. However, I don’t advocate for Black Mass, even for the curious. I’m aware of the realities of opening oneself to the influence of evil is not a good thing. It’s serious stuff. Even they say this is serious stuff. I'm grateful that (allegedly) they're not using a consecrated host this time.

But, our response as real Catholics, isn’t to go beheading those who attack us or who are different from us. If the Satanists want to desecrate our Mass and the Eucharist, our response is to…have special Masses, special gatherings for prayer and adore Christ in the Eucharist all the more. Again, back to the letter of the archbishop of Oklahoma City, he calls for all Catholics to do something for tonight’s Black Mass at the same time it is happening.

That’s where I’ll be tonight. Adoring Christ in the Eucharist. Fellow Catholics (and our Christians brothers and sisters and other people of good will!), come let us harness the power of Google and find out if a local Catholic parish is hosting anything tonight in reparation for the Satanic Black Mass. There are Masses, times of prayer, Adoration, and Eucharistic processions that might be happening, especially around Oklahoma City.