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psalm 145:18, THE LORD IS NEAR TO ALL THAT CALL UNTO HIM.

Here is a true story by Paul Harvey.

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 handsome young son who had aspirations of joining the
circus as a trapeze artist or an actor.

This young fellow, biding his time until a circus job or even one as a
stagehand came along, worked at the local shipyards which bordered on
the worse 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 from his 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 year 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 No Face. 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 on for five years.

One day he passed a church and sought some solace there. Entering the
church he encountered a priest who had saw him sobbing while kneeling in a
pew. The priest took pity on him and took him to the rectory where 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 Catholic 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 eyes.

The priest, through his personal contacts was able to secure the services
of the best plastic surgeon in Australia. They 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 worse 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!
Paul Harvey