Mel’s not mad at Oksana. Mel’s mad at himself. He’s mad at the situation he’s put himself in. He left his wife of 23 years for a younger, more exiting woman. He did this despite the fact that he knew better.
Mel belongs to a peculiar sect of the Roman Catholic Religion called Traditionalist Catholic1. This particular branch of the religion leans more towards the older traditions solidified in the church around the time of the reformation. He was certainly taught that divorce is against God’s will. Yet, he got a divorce. Why?
The answer is simple, and it answers all of the questions; works. Mel is angry because his guilt tells him that he knows better. He’s angry because he allowed himself to be put into a position where he is at odds with what he knows is right. He is angry because he doesn’t have the answers that satisfy his big questions. Mel’s salvation is based upon the works and performances that he does yet he finds himself constantly doing those things he knows aren’t right.
The Catholic Religion is based solely upon your adherence to the mandates, practices and traditions of the church. Absolution from sins comes at the hands of a priest who doles out penances and indulgences. Your membership in the church is paramount to your entry into the Book of Life. If you aren’t catechized then you can’t really understand the purpose of the Christian life. Only those who throw themselves at the mercy of the church can find absolution.
This is the preverbal rock and a hard place. Your salvation is based upon the things that you do, but you can’t seem to do the things that establish your salvation. The human spirit isn’t capable of doing good consistently on it’s own. This is especially true for those unfortunate enough to live and work in the heart of the war zone. Hollywood is renowned for it’s debauchery. The culture makers in the movie industry crow over their ability to change our perceptions of right and wrong. They are masters of corruption. If you intend to live within enemy lines, you must be prepared. You must have your armor2.
The Apostle Paul describes this condition to us in his letter to the Romans3. The difference between Mel and Paul is simple and clear; grace. Where Mel must do certain deeds to achieve salvation, Paul simply received the gift of God; the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. Through this gift we are set free from the things that the body seeks to do, but we are also empowered by the comforter4 to do those things that are right.
In the battle against evil we cannot put on armor that we don’t have. The only way to get that armor is by receiving it as the gift of God. You cannot earn a black belt in Christianity. Using this analogy, you get your black belt as a free gift, then you spend the rest of your life trusting the Master who lives within you to help you live up to that responsibility.
Mel is mad at himself, furious at himself and he took it out on Oksana because his guilt wouldn’t allow him to point the finger back at himself. He has guilt because he knows – deep down he knows – that he has no forgiveness for his actions; actions that he positively knows are wrong and against the will of God. But, Mel isn’t alone in this problem. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world drown themselves in distractions so that they don’t have to think about these things. Even more choose to ignore any form of fixed moral law so that they can avoid the problems of guilt entirely.
Sooner or later it catches up to you. Sooner or later you get to a place commonly known as “rock bottom.” When you get there you have a choice to make; live in God, or die in your sins. It’s a sad truth that for most it takes getting to this point of ultimate despair in order to realize what needs to be done. It’s even more sad when the wrong decision is made.
I wish Mel the best. I really do. I hope that when he reaches his rock bottom that someone, somewhere will step into his life and show him that all the good works in the world don’t count for anything. There’s only one good work; the Christ’s death on the cross.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditionalist_Catholic
- Ephesians 6:11-18
- Romans 6,7,8
- John 14:26, John 15:26
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