c. 1996 Religion News Service
(Samuel K. Atchison is an ordained minister and has worked as a policy analyst and social worker to the homeless. He currently is a prison chaplain in Trenton, N.J.)
(RNS)-There was great rejoicing a few weeks ago when, after many years in prison, one of my parishioners went home. The heartwarming scene that ensued-the hugs of family and friends, the tears of joy (some of them mine), and the prayers of thanksgiving-reflect an aspect of prison life that most fail to appreciate.
The same is true of the changes wrought in the lives of many inmates. Quiet though the transformation may be, some of them do change.
Take, for example, the Rev. Leroy Holmes. Convicted in 1967 of second-degree murder, he became a born-again Christian during a chapel service in Rahway State Prison in New Jersey. Today, he runs a prison outreach ministry and has shared his personal testimony in more than 20 countries.
Then there is the Rev. Mark Maciel. An ex-offender and former drug addict, he currently runs the ministry of the Los Angeles County Jails, overseeing an operation that includes 60 chaplains and some 24,000 inmates.
Among his biggest supporters are the same corrections officials who once supervised his incarceration. During a recent service at the New Jersey prison where I work, he marveled at the irony of his situation, saying,”Does God have a sense of humor or what?” Yet if God expresses joy over the repentance of sinners, many of his people do not. Indeed, to many, especially the victims of crime, even the penitent are the scum of the earth.
This is unfortunate, for it reflects more the heart of the victim than of the former criminal. The truth is, for many victims, the sins of their offenders are ever before them.
I still remember the two occasions in 1980 when, as a fast-food manager in Philadelphia, I was robbed during business hours. My feelings of panic, helplessness and rage remained with me for years. The second robbery cost me my job, and I had dreams of catching-and hurting-my assailants.
Eventually, however, I realized that I needed to yield my anger and the sin that caused it to the Lord. Only by offering to God my desire for revenge could I receive healing.
To be sure, there are many inmates who never repent of their crimes. Moreover, many of those who profess repentance really do not feel regret. Jailhouse conversions are a fact of life in prison. Indeed, true repentance tends to be the exception rather than the rule.
Still, there are many for whom conversion is real.”All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”the Bible says. If all have sinned, then all can be forgiven and all can be healed.
The repentant criminal already knows this truth. Perhaps those of us who are victims should learn it as well.
LJB END ATCHISON
