Originally published at crisis magazine
[Editor’s Note: This is the twenty-fifth in a multi-part series on the unsung heroes of Christendom.]
All saints are heroes, but not all heroes are saints. There are some who have made great sacrifices for Christendom while not necessarily leading particularly virtuous lives. In our own times, marked by the cult of celebrity, we might think of Mel Gibson, whose The Passion of the Christ, released twenty years ago, is not merely a masterpiece of a movie but is a moving icon, a work of devotional religious art which has brought millions of people closer to Christ. It is surely significant that Gibson played a cameo role in his own film, his hand appearing as holding the nail as it was hammered into Christ’s flesh, an acknowledgment by the filmmaker of his own sinfulness.
Considering that his praises have been widely sung for almost half a century by those who have admired his achievements as an actor and producer, it would be a stretch to include Mel Gibson as one of the unsung heroes of Christendom. He is, however, currently working on a TV series which, if it comes to fruition, will sing the praises of those few, those happy and noble
