A Letter - A Prayer - A Life

One of the awesome things about Sacred Scripture is the many ways it can touch your heart.  You can read a passage or hear it read a dozen times and each time something new will be placed on your heart.  Sometimes a message or meaning is so obvious, so in-your-face, that you wonder how you could have missed it.  One day, I had one of those moments while I was reading Matthew's account of Judgement Day, as illustrated by the Separation of the Sheep and Goats. 

Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'

"Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'

"Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  (Mt 25:31-46)

Ouch!  Suddenly I realized the clarity of the message of this parable -- these works of mercy are imperative to obtaining eternal life.  Feed the hungry.  Give drink to the thirsty.  Welcome the stranger.  Clothe the naked.  And visit the imprisoned.  "Oh, my!" I thought, "That last one may be a bit out of my comfort zone."

But a 'call is a call' and Christ never said that discipleship was going to be comfortable, so I began searching for the way God might be calling me to this work of mercy.  Shortly thereafter I became a financial contributor to Prison Fellowship Ministries.  This made me feel better for a time, but I soon realized that something was still lacking.  Although I have a profound respect for Chuck Colson and the ministry he founded, "visiting the imprisoned" was meaning more to me than just sending a monthly check in the mail.  I began searching for an intrinsically Catholic prison ministry in which I could actively participate.

Providentially, I ran across an article in a Catholic newspaper pointing me in the direction of a pair of wonderful outreach programs: one serving the spiritual needs of Catholic inmates through potentially life-changing weekend retreats, and the other fulfilling a temporal need by providing them with regular, personal contact via letter writing.  I said to myself: God is calling and it's time to visit...

That all started back in 2003.  I've had 7 different anonymous prison penpals since then and have been writing to as many as 3 concurrently.  Depending on the individual and particular circumstances, our correspondences may range from the routine to the deeply spiritual.  The prisoners welcome the distraction as well as the friendship -- they appreciate the escape, the hope, the encouragement and the window to the outside world that their penpals provide.  The letter writing has provided me with an outlet to share my faith, which has helped me grow in my relationship with God.  

I encourage all christians to become active in this special work of mercy.  There are two outreach programs sponsored by the National Association of the Holy Name Society: Mary, Mother of Captives Prison Penpal Ministry and St. Dismas Prison Ministry -- these apostolates provide an opportunity for you to get actively involved in this special work of mercy. 

Remember Mathews Gospel, what is going to be your response on Judgement Day!