"The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world .... are you a Jew?" ...Mel Gibson to arresting officer

I can identify ...

The Passion of the Christ, directed by this same man, depicted total reconciliation with our Lord and God for just such remarks ... and worse. And yes, my own repentance resulted in my not having had a drink since that sad time, as well as an almost complete turn-around in my life, and the "giving up" of far worse than alcohol, gives me both compassion for Mel Gibson right now ... as he contemplates the despicable words he yelled out to the arresting officer ... but the courage to say to Mr. Gibson that it is also the only solution to what might appear to him today to be just a "drinking problem."

No, Mel Gibson, your future is not in jeopardy, as the headlines state -- it might very well be the beginning of a new life that, although not perfect (mine isn't), is so much better than anything you've ever known that you will look back on this incident as the "best thing" that ever happened during your entire life.

The alcohol was but a symptom ... as they say in twelve-step programs ... of much deeper problems of selfishness and self-centeredness, and it was (in my case) the elimination of the most ugly of these that makes my life totally different today ... decades later. And it wasn't me who did anything! It was the man, the Son of God, whose crucifixion you so powerfully depicted in The Passion of the Christ who did it all!

Let the tabloids rant and rave! I truly believe that you are a devout and obedient Roman Catholic and further, a Christian who is on the verge of being "born again" in a manner that will shock the pants off of everyone who has ever known you -- including yourself! I believe that you would be totally obedient to the correct and (I believe) Godly dictates of the two most recent popes (John Paul II and Benedict XVI) that we abhor anti-Semitism in any form.

At this terrible time for Israel and for the Arabs caught up in the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, Israel and Gaza, you might very well now be in a position to help out like you've never been able to before. An open and clear acceptance of Christ and a demonstratable passion for the sad persons who are suffering in Israel and Lebanon, might well be the linchpin of better years ahead for both peoples ... and the conversion of many to Christ.

My prayers and best wishes go out to you and your family at this time.

(And thank you so very much for The Passion of the Christ!!)