Mockery of Last Supper an insult to the faith

In the previous edition of “The Catholic Week,” I wrote about the National Eucharistic Congress, a grace-filled event of the American Catholic Church held in mid-July in Indianapolis. People from across the country gathered to give thanks to God for the priceless gift of the Eucharist, which our Lord gave to us at the Last Supper. In that Upper Room with His disciples, the Lord gave us His own Body and Blood, truly present in the bread and wine once consecrated, as His visible testimony that He is with us until the end of time. 
Shortly after arriving home from Indianapolis, I watched the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. It was an uplifting and impressive spectacle as athletes from across the globe came together. The Olympics show the unity of peoples, despite differences of culture, language, politics or belief.
What a scandalous disappointment it was, therefore, when France decided that in the midst of this celebration of unity, a disgusting parody of the Last Supper would be included.
No excuse or justification can explain how this mockery of the Last Supper—one of the most cherished and important moments in the life of Christ in the Bible—would be part of the Olympics ceremony. A drag queen cavorting in a caricature of the solemn event the night before Jesus died on the cross for us is quite plainly, a clear insult to the Christian faith.
Secular France chose to display for the world to see, not merely a lack of respect for the Christian faith, but an intentional affront to the faith and those who embrace it.
This was not an accident or a misinterpretation. It was deliberate.
The Christian faith in today’s secular society is increasingly confronting situations similar to those which the early Church confronted in the pagan Roman Empire. Christians in those early centuries lived in a culture which was un-Christian and even anti-Christian. Christianity was hated because it stood in contrast to the pagan values of the time. Realizing this, pagan forces vehemently opposed the Christian faith, often with violence. However, with the perseverance and courage which could only come from God, Christianity prevailed and changed the culture.
People of faith today face analogous challenges. In a number of countries, people are being killed because they are Christian. In our western secular culture, the opposition may not be violent, but the hostility is still very real. It is an opposition to denigrate and disparage any expression of faith for the same reasons that the early Church was opposed: we stand in opposition to the pagan values of the time.
Christianity offers hope. It teaches us what our true nature is. It explains to us that there is a reason why we exist. It reveals the Creator who formed us into being, and with an unfathomable love, wishes to embrace us for all eternity. It cautions us that one day we will stand before that Creator to give an account of our lives. It challenges us to put our faith into action and to allow the love of God to shine through us to others. 
The secular theology offers none of this. It espouses a lie that our freedom lives in separating ourselves from God. This is a lie which ultimately leads, not to freedom of the human spirit, but to enslavement to the lowest elements of human appetites. It leads to a gnawing hunger for meaning and purpose.
How ironic that the Olympic parody of the Last Supper would display the slavery and poverty of the pagan world around the table at which the Lord promised to satisfy our deepest hungers for all eternity.