December 1 marks the start of the liturgical season. We are beginning the new year through our preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ in this Advent season. The King who is coming is not dressed in gold, riding in a chariot, and wearing expensive perfumes. He is gentle (Mt. 11:29), an encourager (Mt. 9:2, 14:27), a teacher (Lk 6:40-42), a reconciler (Jn 21:17-20), and a redeemer (Jn 3:16). As Christians, we bring the presence of Christ to others and we experience others in our encounters.
How would you end your year? A life of compassion or a life of hurt or anger? Should our generation have a legacy of healing and reconciliation or death and revenge? What is in your heart? An invitation to monthly prayer is here: Prayer Vigils - Catholic Mobilizing Network
An invitation to ask Mr. President Joe Biden to commute the 40 federal death row prisoners: CMN Take Action Commute Federal Death Row
An invitation to view the state-scheduled executions and advocate to stop: execution: Executions - Catholic Mobilizing Network
We open this new liturgical season with hope. As Christians, we are called to be bearers of hope, knowing that God is with us. We shall sing "O Come, o come, Emmanuel." On December 7, 9-10am, join the Incarnate Word Sisters Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation in collaboration with Pax Christi to pray for peace. Peace is the theme of advent for the second week in Madeleine Room 2nd floor of Incarnate Word Campus Heritage Building. This peace comes in all forms, love that transcends differences in opinions, races, status in life, circumstances, beliefs, religion, gender, origins, and nationality.
A Generation of Circular Justice
There are twenty-one states where the death penalty is legal and still in place namely, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, and U.S. Gov’t U.S. Military. Six states have put a hold on execution. These are Arizona, California, Oregon, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
Some people know the death penalty is an archaic system while some people think that it is necessary to get back to people who did horrible things to someone. Everyone will have a legacy. There will be something that your heart will carry through your life and even until death. What would that be in today's generation? We have a choice to pursue something that will come back with good intentions and not create new wounds from division and darkness.
There are three people on death row for execution in December 2024 in the United States. These are Christopher Leroy Collings, convicted of murder with rape of a girl, Joseph Corcoran, convicted of mass murder, and Kevin Ray Underwood, convicted of murder. There is no escaping from the fact they have committed serious crimes. Some people are angry and it may be a feeling that may linger and persist for a long time even for a lifetime especially if the victim is your loved one. The people on death row interrupted the lives of people, society, and whose lives had been forever changed due to hurt and anger from the loss. Some on death row have their lives changed as well for wrongful convictions. What does society do to amend these? Have we stopped enough to listen to the other side of the story?
The question with this system is not whether they deserve to die just as many families of victims would say and the proponents of the death penalty. Bryan Stevenson of EJI said in arguing for the reason for its abolishment, that it is not the question of whether the person deserves to die or not. The question is, whether we deserve to kill a human being? Apart from not working on the root causes, the death penalty system unveils racism, injustice to the poor for the lack of funds to pay for a good lawyer, and lack of mental health services and social services given to the individuals. Does the killing of the convicted make the survivors of the victim feel justified? Are the people any safer in killing the convicted on death row?
There are several issues:
1. The absolute punishment puts people to death even the innocents.
2. The government funds and those involved in the justice system in the United States are used to kill a person. This means that there are fewer funds used for other restorative and affirmative programs.
3. Some people will have to be hired to execute death row inmates, whether or not they are conscious of that outcome. Imagine your job is to kill someone. You will be part of the death team that will bring the person to his death from a dose or doses of lethal injection, electric execution, firing squad, or gas chamber. We are all part of this death team, the only difference is that there are people who are directly involved in the execution of the death row inmate so that the victim or family of the victims will have to receive what the current system calls justice. There are moral implications to their psychological being having taken direct involvement in the killing of a person on death row.
4. The Death Penalty can be a cause of injustice in sentencing. People of color and people without money or underprivileged have higher chances of being convicted compared to someone rich and guilty as Bryan Stevenson of EJI also claimed. With money and power, people who can hire competent lawyers can escape any convictions or further trials.
People are put under absolute penalty whether there are mistakes. According to studies, 4% of people on death row are innocent. When we put our funds into the trials, it means that the taxes or the money of the government and people go to these litigations instead of investing the money on rehabilitation, mental health, family, and social support services.
This generation shows advanced technological improvements, astonishing scientific discoveries, and a world working to end poverty and address climate change. It is a time for society to favor integrity, dignity, equality, compassion, human rights for all, and protection of the innocents? Where do you stand? Would you rather be an absolute executioner not to miss punishments of the guilty, spend money, and put someone to death for the crimes they committed with the thought that some may be innocent? Or would you rather be the merciful judge to put both the convicted and misjudged individuals into life imprisonment without parole allowing the misjudged to be retried and to be released for the crimes they have not committed?
As Catholics, we have Pope Francis whose theme of his papacy from the beginning has been about mercy. Fratelli Tutti of Pope Francis has clearly stated that "the death penalty is inadmissible (FT, 263)" He affirms the inalienable dignity of all human beings including the worst of criminals (FT 269). He is calling for its abolition worldwide (FT 263).
How you can be a bearer of hope for this issue? Go back to the invitation at the top of this article to pray, reflect, and take action.
Read More:
Fratelli Tutti (3 October 2020) | Francis
Pope Francis closes the door on the death penalty in ‘Fratelli Tutti’ | America Magazine
Does the death penalty bring closure to a victim’s family? | PBS News
Bryan Stevenson Talks to Oprah About Why We Need to Abolish the Death Penalty
Coping & Dealing With a Murdered Family Member
Innocence Project
Death Penalty | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Capital Punishment, Prison, Felony, & Life in Prison | Britannica
Do Rich People Get Off Easier When They Break the Law? - The New York
Capital Punishment: Our Duty or Our Doom? - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty
Ministry of Reconciliation
Biden Contemplates Federal Commutation Requests | Death Penalty Information Center
Inside The Haunting Life Of A Death Row Executioner
Fool's Gold: How the Federal Death Penalty Has Perpetuated Racially Discriminatory
Practices Throughout History | Death Penalty Information Center
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