Date: Saturday April 11th 
Scripture: Isaiah 42:5-7
“Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”
By Emily Schmid, Advocacy Programs Associate, PA Council of Churches
I accidentally shoplifted last February. Dangerously, there is a grocery store next to my gym so when I’m on the treadmill craving Italian Ice I can instantly satisfy that craving. I walked in to Giant, went to the freezer aisle, grabbed the Italian Ice, and walked out. While in the car, I went to look for the receipt and realized I never got one. Because I never paid… I proceeded to go back inside the store and purchase my Italian Ices like a good citizen.
I can add shoplifting to the list of minor crimes I’ve committed in my life. I think if we were all to examine our records closely, we’d find that none of us are clean.
The racial disparities in our criminal justice system are not lost on me. As a young, white woman I walked out of a grocery store without buying Italian Ices, and no one batted an eye.
We are all called into righteousness and we all fall short. While I have never been to prison, I certainly have trapped myself in prisons of my own making due to ignorance, greed, pride, and anger. These prisons separate me from loving other Children of God. We have set up a false dichotomy for ourselves where those in prison are “un-righteous” and those who are free are “righteous.”
These words from Isaiah are just as much for literal prisoners as they are for those who put them behind bars. May we work not only to liberate prisoners, but ourselves as well, from the systems of injustice under which we operate. May our eyes be opened to the way of the Lord, and may we all be freed from the prisons of our own making.
Prayer: Dear God, grant that we may one day live out your vision for justice, righteousness, and peace on this Earth. Open our eyes to your will and lead us out of prison into your grace. Amen.
Criminal Justice Fact: In 2016 10.8% of PA’s prison population were serving life without parole sentences.
Action: As this Lenten journey comes to a close, share one thing you’ve learned and one thing you’ve committed to doing in order to promote change in our criminal justice system. Post it on social media with the hashtag #40daysofsolidarity
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