By Zechariah Long
Public approval of the sinister and wicked is increasing across America. One such advancement is a traveling show, known as the Paranormal Cirque that is currently touring the major cities of Louisiana.
A Wicked Circus
The Paranormal Cirque is a production of the Cirque Italia company in Italy. The name Cirque could mislead an unknowing observer into thinking it is only a circus with some harmless palm reading and “white magic” entertainment. Such “harmless” attractions would be bad enough, but the R-rated Paranormal Cirque is much worse.
The event takes place under a large black and red tents with shows that include the ghoulish, Goth, punk, cabaret immorality, witchcraft, and acrobatics. One look at their website says it all. A character with horrendous face paint and horns appears on the front page to welcome the reader. The caption reads: “A wicked performance of European style.”
One advertisement for the Cirque reads: “Do you love thrilling, wicked, sexy, or even dangerous things? Be ready to escape to a new world!” The Cirque already spent several days in Lafayette, La. Showings are scheduled in Lake Charles for the beginning of May and afterward on to Alexandria and Shreveport.
Mainstreaming the Sinister and Paranormal
The Cirque is a way to normalize the sinister and the horrendous in America by using the façade of a circus. The events are set up in mall parking lots, shopping centers, and other highly frequented areas where normal Americans, many with children, drive by. In this way, the public is de-sensitized into accepting the ghoulish and macabre.
Lessons to Learn
The Paranormal Cirque brings home the message that there is no such thing as a safe haven from evil in this world. Indeed, even in the garden of paradise, there was a snake. No Benedict option will allow a person to flee from evil.
The only way to survive is to engage the culture. Saint Joan of Arc, patron saint of New Orleans, once said: “If the soldiers fight God will give the victory!” The lives of the saints will show that they always fought the errors of their times. The saints never retreated, but always fought in whatever way they could. Saint Louis de Montfort organized public rosaries denouncing the sins of his country. Saint Edmund Campion printed pamphlets denouncing Protestantism and handed them out in large quantities. The heroes of the Vendée in France resisted the French Revolution. Let us follow the example of the saints and resist the evil trends of the day.
Most importantly we cannot lose heart. Our Lady of Fatima promised, “In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph.” If we doubt Our Lady, then all is lost. Let us press on with confidence and courage knowing that the worse things get, the more likely is Our Lady’s intervention.