powerful stuff!

> > SOME OF YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE READ THIS, BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO
HAVE
NOT
> > MAYBE IT WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE MOVIE COMING OUT
> "PASSION
> > OF JESUS CHRIST".

> >
> >
> > Dearest friends, saints in Christ Jesus,
> >
> > With Wednesday, the 25th of February, marking the opening of The
Passion
> and
> >
> > also the beginning of the 40 days that lead up to Easter, I thought
you
> > might
> > want to be reminded of how the Lord works in each of our lives.
Here is
> the
> >
> > true story that bears our praising God for one life and His work in
that
> > life!!
> >
> >
> > Years ago a hardworking man took his family from New
> >
> > York State to Australia to take advantage of a work
> >
> > opportunity there. Part of this man's family was a
> >
> > handsome young son who had aspirations of joining the
> >
> > circus as trapeze artist or an actor. This young
> >
> > fellow, biding his time until as job or even one as a
> >
> > stagehand came along, worked at the local shipyards
> >
> > which bordered on the worst section of town.
> >
> > Walking home from work one evening this young man was
> >
> > attacked by five thugs who wanted to rob him. Instead
> >
> > of just giving up his money the young fellow resisted.
> >
> > However they bested him easily and proceeded to beat
> >
> > him to a pulp. They mashed his face with their boots, and
> >
> > kicked and beat his body brutally with clubs, leaving
> >
> > him for dead.
> >
> >
> > When the police happened to find him lying in the road
> >
> > they assumed he was dead and called for the Morgue
> >
> > Wagon. On the way to the morgue a policeman heard him
> >
> > gasp for air, and they immediately took him to the
> >
> > emergency unit at the hospital. When he was placed on
> >
> > a gurney a nurse remarked to her horror, that his young
> >
> > man no longer had a face. Each eye socket was smashed,
> >
> > his skull, legs, and arms fractured, his nose literally hanging
> >
> > fromhis face, all is teeth were gone, and his jaw was almost
> >
> > completely torn from his skull.
> >
> >
> > Although his life was spared he spent over a yea r in
> >
> > the hospital. When he finally left his body may have
> >
> > healed, but his face was disgusting to look at. He was
> >
> > no longer the handsome youth that everyone admired.
> >
> > When the young man started to look for work again he
> >
> > was turned down by everyone just on account of the way
> >
> > he looked. One potential employer suggested to him
> >
> > that he join the freak show at the circus as" The Man
> >
> > Who Had NoFace".
> >
> > And he did this for a while. He was still rejected by
> >
> > everyone and no one wanted to be seen in his company.
> >
> > He had thoughts of suicide. This went onfor five
> >
> > years.
> >
> >
> > One day he passed a church and sought some solace
> >
> > there. Entering the church he encountered a priest who
> >
> > had seen him sobbing while kneeling in a pew. The
> >
> > priest took pity on him and took him to the rectory
> >
> > here they talked at length. The priest was impressed
> >
> > with him to such a degree that he said that he would
> >
> > do everything possible for him that could be done to
> >
> > restore his dignity and life, if the young man would
> >
> > promise to be the best Christian he could be, and
> >
> > trust in God's mercy to free him from his torturous life.
> >
> >
> > The young man went to Mass and communion every day,
> >
> > and after thanking God for saving his life, asked God
> >
> > to only give him peace of mind and the grace to be the
> >
> > best man he could ever be in His eye. The priest,
> >
> > through his personal contacts was able to secure the
> >
> > services of the best plastic surgeon in Australia.
> >
> > There would be no cost to the young man, as the doctor
> >
> > was the priest's best friend. The doctor too was so
> >
> > impressed by the young man, whose outlook now on
> >
> > life,even though he had experienced the worst was
> >
> > filled with good humor and love.
> >
> >
> > The surgery was a miraculous success. All the best
> >
> > dental work was also done for him. The young man
> >
> > became everything he promised God he would be.
> >
> > He was also blessed with a wonderful, beautiful wife,
> >
> > and many children, and success in an industry which
> >
> > would have been the furthest thing from his mind as a
> >
> > career if not for the goodness of God and the love of the
> >
> > people who cared for him. This he acknowledges publicly.
> >
> >
> > The young man was and is Mel Gibson.
> >
> > His life was the inspiration for his production of the
> >
> > movie "The Man Without A Face."
> >
> >
> > He is to be admired by all of us as a God fearing man,
> >
> > a political conservative, and an example to all as a
> >
> > true man of courage. And to think I admired him before
> >
> > I knew any of this! He is quite a man!
> >
> >
> > And now you know the rest of the story.
> >
> > Paul Harvey
> >
> >
> > It is no surprise he has made produced his latest film
> >
> > about the last 12 hours of Jesus's life, is it?