JUSTCriminal Justice Sunday Resources

How receptive are we to invitations to attend a wedding? Or how receptive are we to accept an invitation from God in our daily living? A wedding may be a one time event. However, an invitation from God as Moses or Paul experience lasts a life time of change.
We say we want to follow Christ, but when the invitation comes to live and follow in His footsteps of unconditional love something happens inside us. Paul indicates the necessity of resolving the conflicts within ourselves and between members of the community. Paul’s recipe is “dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God…” Paul exhorts us to walk by his example.
Moses in his enthusiastic response to the burning bush becomes aware of the power of listening to the Voice of God and the sacred respect that God has for Moses. We hear Moses’ struggle in following the call from God and how he is led to trust that God will be with him in his journey, which he finds quite daunting at the beginning.
Matthew’s passage today invites us to the banquet. However, distractions keep those invited and us from being fed with the appropriate food to walk with openness and courage to change and adapt to God’s call. Too often we engage in the fluff, little more than ritual and words, and not the substance of God’s life and wonder in action. When life has little meaning or conflicts develop and are not resolved with respect and trust, harsh judgment and degradation of self and other people become the solution. The compassion of Jesus and His invitation are missed with the fears and as presented by Jesus in the Gospel today. Which do we choose for ourselves: the invitation by Jesus or our personal excuses to attend to the immediate quick resolution?
Social Justice Sunday calls us in these same areas mentioned in Scripture today. How we apply them with God’s BIGGER picture of being inclusive, rather than excluding certain people based on our personal likes, rather than seeking reconciliation within ourselves and with others.
We see how Jesus asked people who accused others of wrongs to look inside rather than to judge. Jesus challenges our over emphasized external images of importance and missing the internal beauty when “your thoughts should be wholly directed to all that is true, all that deserves respect, all that is honest, pure, admirable, decent, virtuous, or worthy of praise.” Phil 4:8

We need to find avenues such as Talking Circles, Justice Circles, Healing Circles, Family Circles, etc., where people listen, respect, support, encourage, etc., to follow the call of each person’s sacredness in living. Am I desiring to live and embrace God’s unconditional love of me? How does this challenge me to live daily life and change how I approach myself with the healthy boundaries of care, rather than caretaking.

How do we invite the incarcerated person back into our family, community, society? Do we view this person as a threat or welcome as the stranger Jesus speaks about coming into our midst? How do we welcome a family member back after months, or years of estrangement? Let’s work together by respecting and acknowledging our personal gifts of openness, healthy boundaries, trusting our goodness and listen to our negative projections onto those we view differently from ourselves. With communications, we give ourselves and the other person the gift of God’s welcome invitation. When we are relaxed in the presence of another, they too will more readily relax and an atmosphere of growth and change is created as God created each of us.

Do I hear the invitation from God today? What action can I take?
Robert Wieber, Ph.D., Chaplain

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On The Need for Mentors
Robert Weiber, Ph. D, Chaplain

Jesus was the greatest mentor, exemplifying belief in each individual person, trust, respect and forgiveness.

Having served as a prison chaplain for a number of years, I reflect on how valuable mentors are for inmates while serving time in prison. Just a side: how people in our communities feel like their life is a prison? Both groups need the same respect and trust.

A mentor invests time with the individual inmate. A mentor comes in with some essential qualities: Trust, openness, respect both with self and the inmate. To bring pre-judgment and negativity and having the “answers” for the inmate closes the door to the possibility of positive change.

A mentor has accepted self, listened to their own life experiences and continues to learn everyday, bringing one’s own story credibility and aliveness. Thus such a mentor is able to listen to the story, allowing growth from all choices, favorable and unfavorable, without condemnation and degradation.

A mentor commits to developing a relationship as a two way street, not imposed by either individual. The small tiny mustard seed that is planted, nurtured and embraced has many potential good results beyond out control when we allow God to be the role model for any of us as mentors.

The following prayer from Father Mychal Judge says it best for me:

“Lord, take me where You want me to go,
Let me meet whom You want me to meet
Help me to say what You want me to say
And keep me from getting in Your way.”

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A Second Chance
Mary Maas, Amicus Services Coordinator

Reading I: Wis 7:7-11
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
Reading II: Heb 4:12-13
Gospel: Mk 10:17-30

    As we reflect on the readings for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time we hear the Gospel of Mark about what we must do to inherit eternal life.

    A man ran up to Jesus and asked him that very question. Jesus reminded him that he knew the commandments and the man responded, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.

    "How many of us can make such a statement? Over the years haven't we failed to keep these? Haven't we hurt our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters? And some of us have been guilty of greater transgressions against others, and against the law, and have been incarcerated in our jails and prisons.

    What is the current state of our criminal justice system? This issue was studied from a Catholic perspective in a statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: "Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration". In it the Bishops state a Catholic approach begins with the recognition that both victims and offenders deserve dignity. They believe the current trend toward more prisons and longer sentences will not leave our communities any safer. Wealth, race, education and mental illness are currently all huge deciding factors of who gets locked up and who gets parole. Prisons have become the state hospital alternative to people suffering mental health problems. Inside, prison education has been slashed, drug treatment has been shortened, and any means of working to save enough money to start over is gone. We currently simply warehouse prisoners and then wonder why two thirds of ex-offenders re-offend in some manner within three years of release. The focus on rehabilitation has been forgotten in lieu of punishment.

    The United States puts a higher percentage of our population behind bars than any other nation. We have an estimated 2 million people locked up and another 12 million walking around with some sort of rap sheet - mostly non-violent addicts criminalized by our war on drugs. All these people face a background check every time they apply for a job or housing.

    What is our attitude toward someone who has a felony conviction? Are we willing to give him or her a second chance?

    When we consider the reading from Paul to the Hebrews we are reminded that the word of God is "sharper than any two-edged sword, ... able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart." Some of our sins are hidden from most others and some of our sins are those of omission. "But everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account."

    When we listen to the readings today, let us take time to remember our own faults and failings as well as those of our brothers and sisters who are, or have been, involved in the criminal justice system. And let the words of Jesus sink deep into our souls. "Jesus, looking on him, loved him."

    In response to the disciples question, "Then who can be saved?", Jesus stated: "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."

    With God's grace we are able to forgive both ourselves and others, we are able to give both ourselves and others a "second chance".

For further information, help with planning a Criminal Justice Month event, or other Criminal Justice reform advocacy resources, contact:

Joänne Tromiczak-Neid, Justice Coordinator (jtromicza@aol.com or 651-690-7079)
Adam Robinson (robinsona@archspm.org or 651-291-4536)

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