Chains Pulled Loose May 23

Piety

Jesus, help us to break free of the forces that chain us to our current existence.

Greed – in ourselves as we storing up our excess of material wealth and others gains while those around us have so little

Envy – in ourselves as we covet what others have and what advertisers tell us we should desire instead of desiring what Jesus offers

Laziness – in ourselves even though we know we must walk in the light of the Trinity, we are content to bask in the light of the Trinitron. Help us to practice the spiritual exercises that will redeem our lives.

Pride – in ourselves as we believe in our own ability and vanity rather than fully relying on God

Lust – in ourselves as we seek the pleasures of the world rather than the spiritual treasures God promises us

Excess – in ourselves as we consume more: more food, more oil, more money than we really need while others fight for enough to live on and billions subsist on less than $2 per day

Anger – in ourselves directed to others not toward our own frailties rather than accepting love, we accept road rage, airport rage, and more rather than sharing love and praying for those who persecute us as Jesus commanded us

Help us to turn the tables on all the forces that are advanced by the ruler of the world. Help us to conquer these and turn them back while aspiring to your heavenly virtues of faith, hope and charity. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/052306.shtml

About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. (Acts 16:25-26)

And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. (John 16: 8-11)

Jesus rocks a few foundations today. So buckle your seat belt. First we find Paul and Silas in prison. Like Daniel in the New Testament. Like Martin Luther King in Birmingham, Alabama. Like Sister Helen Prejean visiting convicted killers in Louisiana’s Angola Prison. Yes, even like Phil Berrigan and the Catonsville Nine or the Plowshares Actions.

Many Christians have come to know the inside of a prison. Some could leave voluntarily because they were just visiting in jail or prison ministry. Others gave up their freedom voluntarily in protest of war, racism, or other injustice.

God turned the table on the prisoners and set them free. God freed Paul, Silas and the other prisoners of the chains that bound them. Then, they freed the prison guard and led him to believe.

Then, in the Gospel reading from John, God turns the tables on the ruler of the world (Satan) and condemns him to prison. Jesus foretells that the Holy Spirit will convict the world because they do not believe in him.

Once again, we see the tension between “things of the world” and “things of God.” What chains bind you? Will an earthquake be strong enough to break those bindings and free you to love and serve those in need?

Action
One person who finds himself in prison today is Percy Walton (http://www.vadp.org/cases/walton.htm). He is sentenced to die for killing three people.

Walton suffers from schizophrenia and has his illness has gone untreated for over a decade. Over the past several years, prison personnel, including a psychiatrist, have described him as being floridly psychotic and appearing severely mentally retarded. Mr. Walton is the second severely mentally ill, African American man from Danville, Virginia to be sentenced to death. The first – Calvin Swann – was granted clemency in May 1999 by then Governor James S. Gilmore. Mr. Swann was also schizophrenic and both were tried before the same judge, examined by the same experts, and defended by the same lawyer.

Five of the most recent grants of clemency to death row inmates nationally have been based on the inmate’s extreme mental illness. These include Arthur P. Baird II (Indiana 2005); Herbert Welcome (Louisiana 2003, mentally ill and mentally retarded); Alexander Williams (Georgia 2002); Calvin Swann (Virginia 1999); and Bobbie Shaw (Missouri 1993). These commutations reflect a greater understanding of the ravages of severe schizophrenia, its biological cause, and the need for compassion and treatment rather than condemnation for sufferers.

Since Mr. Walton was first sentenced to death the US Supreme Court has ruled in Atkins v Virginia the execution of the mentally retarded to be prohibited as “cruel and unusual punishment.” Since that 2002 ruling approximately 50 death row inmates who suffer from mental retardation have been removed from death rows across the United States and had their sentences remanded to life in prison without parole. Although the Commonwealth’s mental health expert sent to observe Percy Walton before his last execution date of May 28, 2003 reported that he “appears to be severely mentally retarded,” and measured Walton’s IQ at 66, the Attorney General’s office has fought to execute Mr. Walton. As indicated above Percy Walton now functions on the level of a severely mentally retarded individual.

Pending intervention by the US Supreme Court or Gov. Timothy Kaine, VA will proceed with the execution as scheduled on June 8, 2006. Please contact Governor Kaine now and stress that, in addition to Catholic social teaching, there is legal precedent for him NOT to kill Mr. Walton. Alternatives to the death penalty do exist.