Restorative Justice: Prison ministry offers grace, peace to those in every prison unit

By Father Harry Dean | Guest Columnist

Part of St. Paul’s greeting to the Romans, which concludes verse 7, is one way to sum up our attempts at ministry among the incarcerated “…to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Called to be holy; extending the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ — these are precisely the elements of life and love in Christ Jesus which can thrive in the prison setting — but oftentimes they do not. We in our sinful human state attempt day after day and week after week, liturgical calendar after liturgical calendar, to present to the incarcerated the call to be holy through the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ministry to the incarcerated is for every soul associated within the prison units where incarcerated souls serve their sentences for crimes against the human family.
Bishop Joe Vásquez asks us to serve not only the “offenders” as they are called but also the corrections officers, the prison administrators, our fellow Christians and non-Christians bringing their own efforts at ministry to the incarcerated; as well as medical and teaching staff.
What we bring in our sinful humanity becomes infused into the lives of those whom we serve in their sinful humanity. When all parties recognize the truth of that reality then God can help us lay down our preferred pride and get to the divine exchange arising from God’s grace and Christ’s peace. The divine exchange we seek to see, to be, to provide, grinds and chisels its way through that human sinfulness as we let the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament lead us and change us incrementally into the image of Christ all the while in a setting far different than what we live “on the outside” of the prison walls.
The Evil One is active among us in the incarcerated life, often bidding us to downplay our sin, to nurture feelings of disrespect and hostility and chief among all tactics — to fear trust and trust fear. The call to holiness nurtured by God’s grace and Christ’s peace truly can and does diminish the sway of the Evil One among the incarcerated though each victory in Christ is constantly surrounded by the Evil One’s rage at divine success.
The Evil One’s rage shows up in awful and destructive fashion among those who give themselves over to his sway. Among the incarcerated we see ruined lives as evidence of the Evil One’s goals. But redeemed life in the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ can heal ruined lives and give glory to the Father. This redemption in Christ and glory of the Father lends life and love to ministry among the incarcerated benefitting those of us who minister as much as those to whom we minister.
Ministry among the incarcerated is not for everyone. It requires leaving behind some “outside world” thinking and entering into the frame of function unique to the institutional prison setting. It forces confrontation with the truth of our own sinfulness, but it is a force that can move the flock and the shepherd into the ever welcoming and loving hands of our merciful God.
St. Paul’s greeting to the Romans fittingly prepares us to arrive at the conclusion to his letter and proclaims the underpinnings of ministry among the incarcerated: “Now to him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

The Restorative Justice Ministry in the Diocese of Austin seeks to reduce trauma within correctional facilities, reduce recidivism and increase public safety through a growth in faith and healing for offenders, ex-offenders, their families and for the victims of crime. For information, visit www.austindiocese.org/restorative-justice or call (512) 949-2460.