The A-List of the Damned

 Years ago, I had an idea for a novel. It involved a holy priest who set off for the mission field of...Hollywood. He rented a room in Skid Row, a stone's throw from Tinseltown, and lived a simple, unassuming life. His aim? To convert the culture from the inside out, starting with the celebrities who he saw as ultimately lost to the world. Over the years, he set himself to making the rounds on foot down Rodeo Drive, hoping to have chance encounters with movie stars so he could sneak--er speak--the Gospel to them. "So many wounded, searching and unhappy souls thirsting for Christ," he would say. "The rich need the Christ too." He figured if he could reach just one--a Justin Bieber or a Brad Pitt--it might be the spark that starts a fire in the Land of the Stars.

It was a tough rope to walk. How do you be in the world and not corrupted by it? Were these celebrities so enmeshed in a culture antithetical to the Gospel too far gone, too closed off, to hear the salvific message of Christ? Most of them, he figured, were. "But if I could just reach one..." he reasoned.

Ultimately the priest did encounter a B-list celebrity at a coffee shop going through a personal crisis; the soil for the gospel seed to take root was fertile in that moment, and the priest spoke to him with compassion and of the well that never runs dry. He invited him to Mass, which the priest himself would attend everyday not con-celebrating but sitting in the back pew unassumingly. 

After a few months, the actor stepped through the doors, and the priest embraced him. A friendship developed, and the priest shared Christ with Him, broke open the scriptures, and ultimately heard his confession, as he had been raised Catholic. The actor began to change his life, as the materialism of the L.A. lifestyle lost its luster. He told others in the industry who, like him, were not happy and searching for 'something more' about the priest. Word spread, underground, and soon a small group of actors and actresses would visit him on Skid Row to learn more about this Christ, to serve the homeless, and have their lives transformed. 

Though I never got the novel off the ground, I thought the storyline was a good one. A bit naive, but good. 

I always thought celebrities were just successful people who were wrapped up in the things of the world. But after a friend send me a video of an ex-Freemason-turned-Christian who spent five hours exposing the extent to which Freemasonry has infiltrated the entertainment industry, I realized there is something more nefarious going on in the spiritual aquifer beneath L.A. (Note: I watched the entire five hours, and though it seems kind of out there, it sheds light and explains a lot about the link between Satanism and Freemasonry and how prevalent it is in this industry, as well as politics. Search YouTube: "X-Factor Winner Reveals World's Secret Religion"

Can the Gospel seed take root when the lost have literally sold themselves to Satan for the promise of fame and fortune? Not without some serious battle-waging, as I see it. Deliverance Prayers for the Laity (Sensus Traditionis Press) has prayers for the breaking of curses specific to Freemasonry, including Scottish Rite and 33rd degree (highest order), so one can see that it is no easy thing to extricate from the bondage of such influence. There is a hatred of Christianity wrapped in the guise of fraternity and charitable service within these orders, and as the narrator of the video makes clear, some at the lower levels may not even realize they are part of the front for the more nefarious dealings in the higher ranks. 

If Satan is the prince of this world, and can deliver on his promises to provide one with their heart's desires for the things of the world (money, power, fame), is it any wonder the rise to fame some of these marginally talented agents have experienced? The thing is, he doesn't work for free, but expects something in return--ie, your soul. They have their reward.

But that doesn't mean some don't want to 'get out' but don't know how. I think of the Katie Holmes', in her case trying to escape Scientology, who had seeds of faith planted in her childhood, as one example. It must be a scary thing to be so awash in a sea of evil that you have no hope for someone coming to ransom you. But Christ can do all things. In the novel I had dreamed up, a holy priest saw the "poorest of the poor" in the spiritually lost but materially rich celebrities and went to them. One must have a deep and strong faith to resist the temptations one would encounter working in this dangerous collective spiritual environment. The priest has the authority and power given to him by Christ to exorcise such demons, but he must be living a holy, prayerful, and virtuous life himself not to be corrupted by its influence. 

I think this nefarious taproot goes deeper than we can imagine, especially in the worlds of politics and entertainment.  Who will save the lost? Are they worth saving? Are they open to grace and the redemptive power of Christ? Don't underestimate the grip of evil and not being in a state of grace, but don't give it more power than it deserves either. Christ is victorious over death itself--he can save those who cry out to Him. But He asks, "Who will I send?"