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Gabriella_San_S
Guest
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Thank you , Kathy, for calling me out gently on my sin of harsh judgment. I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion, I admit. And I am always trying to reframe my chastising remarks on these forums, particularly. Those of us who are sincerely and passionately Catholic have a responsibility to do so, out of reverence to the Merciful God whom we serve. But(you knew that was coming, didn’t ya) I would equate my tone with that of the righteous indignation that Jesus expressed towards the*** unrepentant*** (ie.the Pharisees and the Sadducees) and don’t forget Jesus’ rebuke of St.Peter when he simply spoke of his devotion to Him, though not in accord with God’s will.Your are right to say that just because we have done “something great” for the Lord, that we can’t fall away from grace thereafter. King Solomon built a grand temple for the Lord after being blessed with wisdom and wealth. He fell also. He married foreigners against the Lord’s command, had hundreds of concubines. There are other stories of fallen humanity.
Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:1 (RSV):
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted”
This is a another way to say the same thing: God calls us to help our fellow human beings to confront their sins in a loving, nonjudgmental way, and without feeling arrogant in our righteousness; recognizing, too, that we are not perfect.
I do not remember Jesus speaking to a sinner in a harsh, judgmental tone. He did rebuke the religious and rescued the woman caught in adultry. This is an example of what our attitude should be.
I think that we need to make sure that the Lord has called us to “admonish a sinner” and not use that scripture to condemn. It is so easy to judge and say things in the wrong spirit, which is the spirit of the devil. I am guilty of this as well.
We also should be mindful about where we get our information and that it is correct. I have read qoutes from gossip rags on this thread. The world breeds on this stuff, they love it. This is the work of the enemy and we are willing participants by reading and believing it then passing on the gossip.
Only Jesus knows the truth and the heart of a person. I am not condoning adultry, divorce or anything like that. I respect the man for what He did to let the world know how Jesus Christ died for us sinners. It will not be the first time that the Lord has used someone that is not Orthodox to do his work and it will not be the last.
May the Lord have mercy on us all. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Kathy
It is the very fact that Mel Gibson is in the public eye, that puts the burden of responsibility most heavily upon him-not to give scandal-and to accept, proportionately the “rebuke” of his brothers and sisters in faith. Hopefully, then to repent and amend his ways.
Yes, he needs our prayers, alright, not our acceptance of his chosen lifestyle-that is the height of pride and arrogance-and a grave lack of charity on our part not to call him on it.(gently, of course