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Here is a true
story by Paul Harvey. Pass it on to anyone who you think would find it
interesting and inspiring. You'll be surprised who this
young man turned out to be.
(Don't look at
the bottom of this
letter until you've read it fully)
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 a handsome young
son who had aspirations of either joining the circus as a trapeze artist
or being 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 this 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 his 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 because 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. There 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 worst 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?
Mel Gibson.
Have a
great week!
In Jesus'
name, Amen.
 
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