Mel Gibson is one of my heroes. My wife and I had just finished watching We Were Soldiers just days before he dropped his DUI bomb. I have followed his spiritual journey from Lethal Weapon through Signs and, of course, to the Passion.
Bad timing? Couldn’t be worse. While Israel gets bombed by Hezbullah, Mel decides to choke and say horrible things. I really don’t think he is Anti-Semitic. The Passion could not have captured the Jewish spirit better. I studied biblical Hebrew in college and the Aramaic in the Passion could not have been more moving. In fact, it is stunning to hear.
I hope we can pray for Mel Gibson, our brother in Christ. It would be easy to throw him under the bus now, but let’s pray that God and the Jewish community will forgive him.
Apparently he has been suffering from alcoholism for a long time. As they say, it might have been the disease talking. And you can guess who is laughing the most about all of this as it distracts us from our own sin (not to mention enticing us to be judgmental) and the evils being perpetrated in the Middle East.
Strangely enough, I have no trouble understanding what might have happened.
I have had some experience with the duality of alcoholism. In that I was once very close to someone who was one of the brightest, funniest, most charming fellow one would want to be around.
Put a drink in his hand, or a couple of beers, and there was the most belligerent, and hostile person one could imagine.
It was really amazing! If I hadn’t seen it, I would not have believed it.
Gloria in SC
My father was similarly afflicted with what we Irish call “the curse”. He was a mean, red-faced, angry drunk, or he was charming, funny, charismatic and maudlin in stages. Thanks, Fr. Neo. I agree. Let’s pray for our brother in Christ. Mel has done wonderful work in his career. Don’t let it end here, Lord. Give him strength in this hour. Help him to find recovery.
as someone born abd raised a jew before coming to faith in Christ, and a huge mel gibson fan, i am bemused by the drunken ramblings of a man who’s father is so right-wing conservative that he gives right wing-conservatives the heebie-jeebies.
i am reminded of hemmingway’s contention that the way to cure alcoholism is to force everyone to do sober, what the swear they’ll do while drunk….
If alcohol be a truth serum, then Mel my boy was speaking his heart. I say we throw him under the bus. Or at least under the influence.
I am not nearly as disturbed by what Mel said drunk as I am by what our commander in chief has said sober . . .
Ange,
You have a chance to elaborate in the next post.
I’ve lived in close proximity to several drunks, and never yet have I heard anything come out of their drunkeness that wasn’t there sober, only masked.
In the gospels, Jesus says, “Out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks,” and that’s probably the truest thing in the whole book. It’s certainly true in my own life, as I discover to my chagrin on a regular basis, even without the benefit of alcohol.
I’m not saying his sins are worse than anyone else’s, but the backtracking, re-spinning, covering up, etc. are what the rest of the world has come to expect of America as a nation. Which ties into your most recent post, I suppose. Your president is just the predominant national character grown very large and powerful.
I find it very interesting, as a Canadian, to watch how eager conservative American Christians are to go along with the denials of both Mel Gibson and your president, rather than firmly (and lovingly, if you will) insisting on accountability.