Visiting Jesus in Jail
Thursday, May 26, 2005

The last place anyone would naturally want to go - juvenile hall in San Francisco. Gang members, drug dealers, and murderers, all between the ages of 14 and 18.

I've started going to jail every Monday night with a Catholic group called Casa San Dimas (Saint Dimas is traditionally known as the penitent thief on the cross) through the security checkpoints at the "Youth Guidance Center." The purpose is to visit. Our first priority is to be a friend and someone to talk to for the guys who often have no friends or family to visit them; if there is an interest, we will sing some songs and go through a very personal Bible study with them. Last Monday I went with two workers Casa San Dimas and met with two young men who only spoke Spanish. We conversed in Spanish, sang some songs they were familiar with, and went through a quick study of Jesus' statment "I am the bread of life."

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (Mt. 25:31) The rubrik for this separation? -feeding the hungry, welcoming in the outcast, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the incarcerated. Can it really be that simple?

I can easily swallow the parable directly preceding this in Matthew: the parable of the talents. It's very nice to be affirmed in investing the gifts God has given me in productive ways - to see the visible results of my work for the Kingdom of God. However, if I am to be a faithful and consistent reader of the scriptures, I must read the next parable of the sheep and the goats the same way - to realize that inasmuch as I am called to use my talents for God in the way I choose, I DO NOT have the choice to opt out of caring for the poor, sick, and incarcerated. For when I care for the least of these - those cast off by everyone else, I am not only following directly in the footsteps of Jesus' earthly ministry, but I am serving Christ himself.

Lord, may I never assume the posture of investing my time without consulting your calender, investing my money without looking at your economy, or choosing my ministry outside of the pattern you set while walking the earth.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:51 PM  

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1 Comment:

  1. Anonymous said...
    1:29 AM  
    Just posting to let you know someone's reading. Your willingness to give your time to the poor this summer encourages me Benjamin. Keep up the blog!

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