The Obligatory Charlie Sheen Post

I honestly feel nothing but compassion for Charlie Sheen.  It's clear to anybody with eyes...or ears...or the slightest amount of common sense, that the man has huge problems.  Look, there are plenty of people who are addicted to alcohol, drugs, and sex.  There are plenty of people who are just obnoxious cads.  (I went to high school with several of them.)  But watching Sheen lately (not even really intentionally, just the random stuff you can't avoid), you can tell he's gone beyond obnoxious loser, and into full-on "'round the bend" territory, wildly careening on black ice towards a hell of a train wreck. 

Kudos to his dad, Martin Sheen (who changed his last name from Estevez to Sheen in honor of Bishop Fulton Sheen), for saying that he intends to love his son, no matter what. 

Honestly, I don't know how anyone can see a picture of him, or hear the bizzare rants issuing from his mouth, and not just drop to their knees in prayer for the poor guy.  Yeah, he's made some rotten decisions, and done some terrible things, and hurt a lot of people.  But then, haven't we all?  I'm not trying to excuse or paper over any of that.  And not that there aren't millions of people out there with problems as bad or worse as Charlie Sheen's.  But there's something particularly horrific about having your issues play out in public, that for some reason, drives me to pray for him all the more.  (I felt the same way about Michael Jackson. )

Given the devoted-if-somewhat-rebellious-and-highly-liberal Catholicism of Martin, one presumes Charlie is baptized.  And the thing is, I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  So I'm praying tonight that Jesus would intervene powerfully in the life of Charlie Sheen, right now, and begin the process of bringing him back to the abundant life He desires for His children.