My brothers and sisters in Christ,
The third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday. The Entrance Antiphon for the Mass is “Rejoice in the Lord. Always, I say it again, Rejoice, the Lord is near.” It also marks the Jubilee for Prisoners.
At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus unfurled the scroll of the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue in Capernaum and said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, to restore sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord.”
More than three years ago, all new bishops had an audience with Pope Francis. One of the things he told us was to go into the prisons and to visit with prisoners and get in touch with the reality of life in prison. He said, “You will understand how God’s grace works.”
I took his words to heart. Since I began my episcopal ministry here in the Diocese of Columbus, I have done tried to visit the different prisons and jails and to spend time with those who are incarcerated.
I see beautiful things happening in the prisons. I meet men and women who have had time to think about what they have done, who have accepted responsibility, who have been converted by God’s grace, who are on fire with the faith, and who, unfortunately, are attacked frequently for their Catholic faith.
I visited with those on death row and offered Mass there. I have seen people who have been completely rejected by their families but who have been received into the Church and who are loved by the Lord.
I have seen women for whom Christmas is a very difficult time, because they are away from their children and their grandchildren. By going to them at Christmastime and offering Mass for them, they know that the Lord is near and they know that the Church is close to them – you are close to them.
To visit the imprisoned is a Corporal Work of Mercy and to pray for them is also a Spiritual Work of Mercy. We all have a role to play. I go as the Bishop of this Diocese to affirm those men and women who are incarcerated of their own dignity as children of God. All of us do things wrong, all of us sin, but I assure them of God’s mercy, that they are still members of our flock, that they are not forgotten, especially not during this Jubilee Year.
On December 14, the Jubilee for Prisoners, in a special way, I ask that you and your family members pray for all those who are incarcerated, to pray that others learn to forgive them, and that we ourselves forgive them, that we not judge them too harshly. They must pay a debt to society; nevertheless, we hope for their conversion, rehabilitation, and, one day, their reintegration into society. We do not simply want them to be punished and to be severe and unmerciful, for that is not how God deals with us.
We also want to remember to not only pray but also to fast. Perhaps as a family, you could make a pilgrimage to one of our four Jubilee churches on this occasion and pray for all those who are incarcerated and their family members.
I often get letters from children asking prayers for their parents who are jailed or who are in a detention camp or are going to be deported, asking, “Please, is there anything you can do? I know my father did wrong, but I want to see him again.” We do not want families to be broken up forever because that has traumatic effects on children.
Of course, the Jubilee for Prisoners isn’t just for those who have committed crimes and are paying their just debt to society. There are also those, both in our country and around the world, who are unjustly imprisoned. Sometimes they are unjustly imprisoned and persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. This day is also a day for them.
During the Jubilee Year for Mercy, there was also a Jubilee for Prisoners. It was one of those days that had no tickets available for the Mass with the Pope. But I knew someone who worked in the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, and they needed some representation from the English-speaking world. At that time, I was a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and so I put the pilgrims from Cincinnati in touch with this person at the office. One woman became the representative of all the English-speaking people, and she came with a bunch of rosaries and cards for the Pope to bless. And the Pope actually blessed those rosaries and received those cards.
What a tremendous difference to know that the Holy Father, the bishop, the people of God in our diocese are close to those who are in prison and jails. Like you and like me, they are fragile, they are weak. Some are justly imprisoned, some unjustly imprisoned, but they are people who have dignity. This is a special day for them.
Jesus came to proclaim liberty to captives. He came to set the oppressed free. He came to declare a year of favor, a year of grace. Let us join in the mission of Jesus in one way or another, by praying for those who are incarcerated in their families, by not judging them too severely, but instead praying for their conversion, and, for ourselves, that when they get out of prison or jail, we might welcome them again without skepticism, but as someone who is truly reformed.
We all are too eager to cast judgment. Jesus makes a judgment, but His is one of mercy and grace. May this year of favor from the Lord be profitable for them and for us. May God bless you and your families.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes
Bishop of Columbus
