The closing hymn last Sunday truly was a prayer for me and I hope for many of you, that God will indeed change our minds and hearts and make them more and more in conformity with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, during this Lenten season and beyond. In particular, I must admit I prayed that God will change the minds and hearts of people who support the taking of human life by the state through Capital Punishment. This is especially crucial when it comes to our elected officials, including our Governor Asa Hutchinson who can stop the executions of four people who are sheduled to be executed during the days between April 17-27 here in Arkansas. I promised in my homily last weekend, after quoting recent Scripture passages which speak in language that clearly would not support the practice of capital punishment and the reasons some given to justify doing it, that I would give, in writing, some other reasons that all followers of Jesus Christ and His Gospel should oppose the "death penalty" and ALWAYS promote human life as a gift from God from conception until natural death. I encourage you to go to the parish website: www.hsvsacredheart.com and read last weekend's homily again and ponder what was said, as well as these points.
While the Catholic Church does not say that there are no circumstances where the death penalty might be used, it does say that in countries where prisoners can be housed in secure settings where they pose no danger to the public for the rest of their lives, that that should be the choice rather than executing them. Also, there is no universal standard by which the death penalty is applied from case to case. Much depends on the prosecutor's leaning whether the death penalty is sought as a possible punishment for a crime. Finally, the defense for those who are accused of serious crimes is often inadequate in terms of legal representation they receive, especially when defenants get "court appointed" attorneys and this leads to some being convicted and sentenced to death, who are, in fact - innocent.
I hope many of you will join me in contacting our governor to try and stop the upcoming executions (as other governors have bravely done) and encourage lawmakers, many of whom have thankfully worked diligently to protect the life of the unborn, to be consistent and protect ALL HUMAN LIFE from harm from individuals and from the state. Remember, when Jesus was asked to affirm the "death penalty" decision when it came to the woman caught in adultery, His response (which was consistent His whole life) was and is (thankfully for us), His mercy. He never gave up on anyone, and neither should we!
While the Catholic Church does not say that there are no circumstances where the death penalty might be used, it does say that in countries where prisoners can be housed in secure settings where they pose no danger to the public for the rest of their lives, that that should be the choice rather than executing them. Also, there is no universal standard by which the death penalty is applied from case to case. Much depends on the prosecutor's leaning whether the death penalty is sought as a possible punishment for a crime. Finally, the defense for those who are accused of serious crimes is often inadequate in terms of legal representation they receive, especially when defenants get "court appointed" attorneys and this leads to some being convicted and sentenced to death, who are, in fact - innocent.
I hope many of you will join me in contacting our governor to try and stop the upcoming executions (as other governors have bravely done) and encourage lawmakers, many of whom have thankfully worked diligently to protect the life of the unborn, to be consistent and protect ALL HUMAN LIFE from harm from individuals and from the state. Remember, when Jesus was asked to affirm the "death penalty" decision when it came to the woman caught in adultery, His response (which was consistent His whole life) was and is (thankfully for us), His mercy. He never gave up on anyone, and neither should we!