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INTENTION : |
That prisoners may be treated with justice and respect for their human dignity.
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A few weeks ago I went for the first time in my life into a prison for adults, all men, in Rome. And I went back there on other occasions. The first impression - long, light corridors, clean and soberly decorated - was pleasant; the building was welcoming and warm, very different from what I had imagined. .. The building is huge, with 1,600 people in it, when it was built for 1,070; each day about 30 people come into it.
I had the opportunity to talk in a group, then individually, with these people deprived of liberty, coming from different countries in Latin America and from Spain, aged from 22 to 40, to whom we offer the opportunity to study for a high school certificate, using the programme of the educational movement 'Fey Alegria' (Faith and Joy).
The group was happy, jovial, almost festiveˇK they took the class seriously and with dedication, but without losing their cheerfulness. .. I looked carefully at each one's face, the colour of his skin; I listened to their different accents, their life-stories, and noticed how the their eyes lit up when they were talking about their children: when one of them told me that he had become a father for the first time, of a little girl, a week ago, his eyes filled with tears, and mine did too. While I was talking with each one, the question was in my heart: 'How do they live? How are they treated? How do they feel?... And if one of them were my brother or cousin or relative, someone from my family, what would I think? .. What does time mean for them, when all they want is to 'reduce the sentence'?
All the same, I felt that my attitude was warm, I saw that these human beings were part of this society, of this great family. They were friendly, smiling, accepting hopes of being able to studyˇK. I went home convinced that we ought to stay in contact, that the studies that we were offering are a way of treating them with dignity, with respect, of giving them tools for their formation and growth.
While I was with them the Pope's suggestion for prayer this month was echoing for me - and stays in my mind and heart: 'for prisoners, that they may be treated with justice and with respect for their human dignity' And I asked myself why the Pope is asking this of us. I have reflected and prayed about this situation. We owe respect, justice and dignity to every person, in the same way that we owe it to ourselves, as sons and daughters of God, Father and Mother of all men and women, who for that reason are brothers and sisters to one another.
But when someone has committed a crime, which deserves punishment according to law and justice, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that he or she is condemned for ever, that there is no solution, and we make a 'global' judgement: everything is lost. God, on the contrary, says 'You can start again, I forgive you', and, still more, 'I still love you'. This is dignity restored, this is true respect. Because God looks at the depths of the heart, its sincerity; we very often judge by appearances.
The prison system may be a fit means of recovery and improvement for the person, or it may destroy the person entirely; the person should complete the sentence - with justice and fairness, without abuse - but is not for that reason totally, irremediably lost. This intention from the Pope invites us all, members of this society, to think about these brothers of ours and to take a positive attitude to them, that they may be treated with justice and dignity. Perhaps we think that we can do little or nothing for this cause, but in addition to prayer, which is always within our reach, if we stop and think we can free our heart of condemnatory judgements, of lack of confidence in the possibility of human recovery; we can reach out to embrace and accept all human beings without discrimination, and still less divisions between 'good' and 'bad'.
Through the Pope the Lord is calling us to be merciful, to be compassionate and welcoming to the other, rather than implacable judges who seek to impose the law, not always in a human way. And, without doubt, we can all apply to ourselves the wise words of the gospel: 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone; and all those who were condemning the adulterous woman went away, beginning with the eldest.' (cf. Jn.8:9)
Without doubt, praying together for this intention will make brotherly and sisterly love grow in us as the human family. Let us not forget that prisoners also have dignity and deserve our respect.
Maria Luisa Berzosa FI
Religious of the Daughters of Jesus, member of the General Council in Rome.
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