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I was thinking about these ironies earler today too.

First the media went after Gibson for doing a religious movie. That didn't work.

Then the media attacked his movie on the grounds that it was anti-Simitic. Again that didn't work.

Then there have been attacks on Mel Gibson's Catholicity. It won't work either. (Even Mahoney is wrong, despite that Gibson has built his own church -- and I'm not condoning that.)

Now the media is after Gibson because of all the money he is raking in. That won't work either, because I expect Gibson to give generously to the charities of his choice. And keep some as a down payment on a future movie -- maybe the Resurrection to Pentecost part of Christ's story.

Next attack -- what will it be? Very ironic, isn't it?

One more thought:

A talk radio host recently dinged it. He said he didn't like it; he couldn't sympathize with Jesus (one eye, apparently, is not enough window to the soul for some).

I think he's on the same path as the 'it's anti-semitic' crowd (including, most recently, Bill Safire; the NYT's tame conservative).

To put it bluntly: I don't think we're supposed to take the place of Christ, I think we're meant to be the crowd!

We're not supposed to blame the Chief Priests; scripture and the film make it clear - "No man takes my life from me... I give it up freely."

But some do, and I think it's because they want an easy answer. There is none. WE weren't tortured that day, HE was. For us. WE deserved to be, but he did not. The chief priests didn't cause him to be crucified, WE did.

But the critics are looking. They're looking for Christianity-lite, with it's 'oh, yeah, I'm saved,' mentality. They're looking for guilt-free existance. 'It wasn't ME who caused this, it was the mob/the priests/Pilate, had I been there, I would have been on the side of righteousness.'

Horsefeathers. You know who I connected with first? Peter. Because I know, that in the middle of a mob, staring at a Roman prison, or crucifixion, for NO GOOD REASON... yeah, I probably would have chickened out, too.

I sympathized with the Magdalene. And John. And Mary. WANTING to help, wanting to get closer, but the world (the crowd, and fear of death) prevents it. Until he falls. And Mary, with a mother's love, fears death less than her son's pain, and goes to him.

I sympathized with Simon. What have I done to deserve this cross?

I even sympathized with A roman. The soldier on the Via Dolorosa, who sees the blood of the Son on the face of the Mother, and (it seems), KNOWS. And cannot take his eyes from her face...

So fine. Find blame, critics. Blame Gibson; tell him to pluck that mote from his eye, before he falls again. Blame the Catholic Church, for she is an institution of men, not saints, and not Gods.

Go watch an art film. Maybe you can find something that disparages Catholics, or Evangelicals, since that's still fair game.

The people who ignored the critics, and walked out of that theatre on Saturday night (packed, by the way), were sad, with no screams of 'kill the Jews,' they were talking, not about who was to blame, but about the magnificent imagery, the adherance to scripture, how Christ-like Caviezel looked.

It was amazing. It is amazing.