Respect For the Prisoner

St. Paul urges us to practice the most basic And powerful Christian teachings To treat each person as part of the Body of Father Christ St. Paul had been in jailed more than once No wonder he urged others to be “mindful of prisoners” As if they themselves were one of them There are many good people in prison Who have hurt others by their poor choices Hard headed decisions It is easy to judge them as “worthless” or “rotten” But we do not know what their early lives lacked in comparison to ours What happened in their mind And heart to lead them astray This perspective does not condone crimes Deny the need for justice However No matter what wrongdoing someone did Each continues to be a human being Filled with the same divine presence that inhabits us Prisoners deserve to be treated with the basic respect We desire for ourselves St. Paul words echo this Gospel teaching