Date: Friday, February 28
Scripture: Psalm 146:7
“…The Lord executes Justice for the oppressed…”
by The Rev. Canon Andrew France Archdeacon Emeritus, Episcopal Diocese, Central Pennsylvania Chaplain, Lycoming County Prison
There are two worlds: the real world which we cannot see and the invented world from which we cannot escape. We live in the world that humankind has created. We live outside of God’s garden. Yet that which gives us life and hope is the presence of the living God who is in truth the real world.
There is a story from 1943 in one of the Nazi extermination camps in which millions of Jews and others were gassed to death. A group of men held a mock trial with judge, jury, prosecution and defense attorneys. The defendant was God. The charge was that God allowed evil and injustice to exist. The attorneys presented their arguments. The jury was sent into seclusion and returned with a “guilty” verdict. The judge then stood up and declared loudly, “now let us stand and praise the Lord”.
The judge tells us that the truth of who we are and how we live has its source in the one who is the author of the real world. It is that presence that blesses us with true freedom of spirit and soul no matter the circumstances of our invented world. The God of the real world is one who gives and faithfully keeps the promise to be here 24/7 even when we cannot find that presence.
Evil has no place in God’s created order, yet it is here in so many forms. It is a violation of God’s righteousness, mercy, and justice. St. Augustine said God endured evil in order to overcome it. God acted to give us Himself and in so doing gives to us the gift of the death of injustice and even of death itself. As we live in our invented world, God provides hope.
May we each morning arise and greet the new day with the heart felt prayer “now let me praise the Lord,” trusting that the real love coming from the real world will permeate the totality of us and the specifics of our invented world, for this is stronger than all else that comes our way.
Prayer: Almighty God, Help us to see the love of your world, even in the midst of the evil of our invented world. Grant that we may bring your love to this world more and more each day. Amen.
Criminal Justice Fact: The average length of stay in solitary confinement for an inmate in a PA prison is 30-90 days.
Action: Visit your local bookstore, or head to the library to check out a book on the criminal justice system. Check out the Pennsylvania Council of Churches website for recommendations.
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