Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus
Today the Church celebrates Prison Ministry Sunday, a day set apart to pray for the inmates of prison. It is a special occasion in which the Church reminds and encourages his people to live the words of Jesus, “when I was in Prison you visited me”. By these words we are reminded of our mission towards our brothers and sisters behind the bars. There are more than three lakhs of prisoners languishing in the prisons in our country. The Church tries to proclaim through the prison ministry, the profound dignity of every human person despite their crimes even those condemned to death. Our human dignity comes from God our Creator in whose image we are all made. Despite their criminal behavior, they are longing for love and affection. The greatest suffering for our brethren is the sense of loneliness; their own near and dear ones abandon them. It is to such souls the Prison Ministry India volunteers are reaching out.
When the adulterous woman was brought to Jesus, for stoning her to death, Jesus not only challenges people who came to condemn her but He himself refused to condemn her and said to the woman neither do I condemn you, go and do not sin again, (Jn. 8/19). Thousands of our brethren are waiting for us in the prison. The PMI volunteers go regularly to the prison and join hands with our suffering brothers and sisters thereby they share with them an unconditional love and forgiveness of Jesus.
It is really an alarming situation to say that, large percentage of violent criminals among the convicts and under trials are youths between the age group of 18 to 35. The youth who represent the future and pillar of India have unfortunately deviated their minds off altruism and goodness in to the contemptuous acts of violence, anti-social movements, naxalism etc. Prisoners do not lose their fundamental rights as prisoners, says Cardinal Renato Martino (Vatican). “An imprisoned man has the right to be considered as a person” asserted the president of the pontifical council of Justice and Peace, when opening a seminar on the human rights of prisoners. The crime in the world is rising to an alarming rate. The prison World population has reached to 9 million and in India alone 3,32,112 of which 2,25,817 are under trials. Many of the inmates of prison are innocent, but in no way their innocence is proved in the court and painfully 70% of the prisoners are hailing from broken families.
Prison Ministry India, a national voluntary organization works for the welfare and rehabilitation of the prisoners and their families as well as the victim’s families. Prison ministry India is recognized by the CBCI in the year 2000. There are about 6000 volunteers working for this noble cause. We have 30 rehabilitation centres all over the country. Through these centres, hundreds of released men and women whose life had been found in morally dangerous atmosphere, affected children of prisoners, the victims and the juvenile delinquents enjoy peace of mind and new layers of hope for their life. Our volunteers all over the country are constituted in 850 units, who are actively involved in carrying out various programs like counseling, medical camps, free legal aid, cultural programs, inner healing retreats, job oriented training programs and so on in the prisons of India. Special attention has been given to educate prisoners about their worth and organize programs to make them feel human and the ministry spread across to the families and relatives of prisoners.
So as Christians we have the responsibility to participate in this mission. Jesus reminds us, “truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). Jesus himself was an innocent prisoner brutally convicted. The culminating good deed on the cross was the rehabilitation of a criminal in to his heavenly paradise. With these perspectives, I humbly request you to pray and help these prisoners, their families and all those who suffer because of them. St. Maximillian Kolbe, the perfect example of inviolable courage, paved an exemplary model of care of the Prisoners through his own life. Kolbe was arrested during the World War II and was sent to the concentration camp. When he was there with the prisoners he shared his meager ration of food with those around him. He prepared many of them to have good confession and prayed for them. Finally he sacrificed his life for the sake of someone else something that we see seldom in today’s world. This is the same what Jesus expects of us, to develop an attitude of sharing, whatever we hold precious in our life, our prayer, our time, our money etc., Therefore let us take a decision today through our prayer and sacrifice to honestly share some portion of our earnings for the rehabilitation of a prisoner. Remember that we shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that we can do or any kindness that we can show to any human being let us do it now.
With words of gratitude and appreciation to all who work hard towards this mission of the Church to release, renew and rehabilitate the brethren in the prisons.
Today the Church celebrates Prison Ministry Sunday, a day set apart to pray for the inmates of prison. It is a special occasion in which the Church reminds and encourages his people to live the words of Jesus, “when I was in Prison you visited me”. By these words we are reminded of our mission towards our brothers and sisters behind the bars. There are more than three lakhs of prisoners languishing in the prisons in our country. The Church tries to proclaim through the prison ministry, the profound dignity of every human person despite their crimes even those condemned to death. Our human dignity comes from God our Creator in whose image we are all made. Despite their criminal behavior, they are longing for love and affection. The greatest suffering for our brethren is the sense of loneliness; their own near and dear ones abandon them. It is to such souls the Prison Ministry India volunteers are reaching out.
When the adulterous woman was brought to Jesus, for stoning her to death, Jesus not only challenges people who came to condemn her but He himself refused to condemn her and said to the woman neither do I condemn you, go and do not sin again, (Jn. 8/19). Thousands of our brethren are waiting for us in the prison. The PMI volunteers go regularly to the prison and join hands with our suffering brothers and sisters thereby they share with them an unconditional love and forgiveness of Jesus.
It is really an alarming situation to say that, large percentage of violent criminals among the convicts and under trials are youths between the age group of 18 to 35. The youth who represent the future and pillar of India have unfortunately deviated their minds off altruism and goodness in to the contemptuous acts of violence, anti-social movements, naxalism etc. Prisoners do not lose their fundamental rights as prisoners, says Cardinal Renato Martino (Vatican). “An imprisoned man has the right to be considered as a person” asserted the president of the pontifical council of Justice and Peace, when opening a seminar on the human rights of prisoners. The crime in the world is rising to an alarming rate. The prison World population has reached to 9 million and in India alone 3,32,112 of which 2,25,817 are under trials. Many of the inmates of prison are innocent, but in no way their innocence is proved in the court and painfully 70% of the prisoners are hailing from broken families.
Prison Ministry India, a national voluntary organization works for the welfare and rehabilitation of the prisoners and their families as well as the victim’s families. Prison ministry India is recognized by the CBCI in the year 2000. There are about 6000 volunteers working for this noble cause. We have 30 rehabilitation centres all over the country. Through these centres, hundreds of released men and women whose life had been found in morally dangerous atmosphere, affected children of prisoners, the victims and the juvenile delinquents enjoy peace of mind and new layers of hope for their life. Our volunteers all over the country are constituted in 850 units, who are actively involved in carrying out various programs like counseling, medical camps, free legal aid, cultural programs, inner healing retreats, job oriented training programs and so on in the prisons of India. Special attention has been given to educate prisoners about their worth and organize programs to make them feel human and the ministry spread across to the families and relatives of prisoners.
So as Christians we have the responsibility to participate in this mission. Jesus reminds us, “truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). Jesus himself was an innocent prisoner brutally convicted. The culminating good deed on the cross was the rehabilitation of a criminal in to his heavenly paradise. With these perspectives, I humbly request you to pray and help these prisoners, their families and all those who suffer because of them. St. Maximillian Kolbe, the perfect example of inviolable courage, paved an exemplary model of care of the Prisoners through his own life. Kolbe was arrested during the World War II and was sent to the concentration camp. When he was there with the prisoners he shared his meager ration of food with those around him. He prepared many of them to have good confession and prayed for them. Finally he sacrificed his life for the sake of someone else something that we see seldom in today’s world. This is the same what Jesus expects of us, to develop an attitude of sharing, whatever we hold precious in our life, our prayer, our time, our money etc., Therefore let us take a decision today through our prayer and sacrifice to honestly share some portion of our earnings for the rehabilitation of a prisoner. Remember that we shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that we can do or any kindness that we can show to any human being let us do it now.
With words of gratitude and appreciation to all who work hard towards this mission of the Church to release, renew and rehabilitate the brethren in the prisons.
No comments:
Post a Comment