Jesus did not ask for any kind of vengeance against the people who killed him on #GoodFriday. I've learned from the families of murder victims that the whole idea of forgiveness is about maintaining our own personal integrity and not allowing ourselves to be overcome with hatred.
There are a lot of deep dynamics here. When Jesus appeared after the Resurrection, his first words were words of peace even though the disciples had abandoned him. Jesus said, "Those who forgive will be forgiven." It's a dynamic of community and active, ongoing forgiveness.
Jesus also said, "Those whose sins you retain will be retained." Sandra Schneiders' insights on the Risen Jesus tell us that the Greek text here was misinterpreted. It wasn't about sin at all and should be translated as, "Those you hold fast will be held fast."
We see Jesus saying something similar when he talks about shepherding his sheep and that no one can snatch them out of his arms. The crux of the message is to forgive one another, then move on in community. Hold each other fast.
We can see this all in action in John 20. The Apostles were transformed when Jesus appeared after the Resurrection. They were afraid and cowering, then Jesus appeared in their midst and empowered them. They came out forgiven, loved, and unafraid.
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The State of Texas killed Ivan Cantu last night. I was there with him, standing near his face, holding his hand, and praying into his ear until the chemicals killed him. God's grace was with him and with me.
He was one of the most faith-filled, self-directed people I have ever encountered. His strength helped me. His last words were directed calmly and clearly to the victims' families watching him die from the witness chambers.
"I did not kill James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen. If I had known who killed them I would have gotten the information to you in any way I could. But I did not kill them and if your hope in coming here is because you seek closure or peace, I'm afraid you’re going to be disappointed."
Yesterday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a brief in support on one of Richard Glossip's pending appeals at the U.S. Supreme Court. AG Drummond agrees that Richard is entitled to a new trial due to prosecutorial misconduct.
AG Drummond presents the question before the Supreme Court in the case:
AG Drummond's brief begins: "The State of Oklahoma, acting through its chief law enforcement officer, recently made the difficult decision to confess error and support vacating the conviction of petitioner Richard Eugene Glossip."
Unless a court intervenes, Missouri will execute Michael Tisius tomorrow, June 6th. When Michael was 19 years old, he made a terrible mistake and killed two jailers while attempting to free a former cellmate. But Michael is not the worst of the worst and does not deserve to die.
Michael's difficulties began before he was born. His mother, Patty, was abandoned by her own mother at a young age. Patty's father died suddenly when she was 13 years old.
Patty's life took a bad turn when she was returned to the custody of her mother, who took 13-year-old Patty out drinking at local bars until late at night almost every day. Patty became pregnant with her first son, Joey, at just 17 years old.
Today is the 20th World Day Against the Death Penalty, with a focus this year on the relationship between capital punishment and torture. The entire death penalty process is torturous for every person involved.
Those on death row spend decades awaiting the eventual day when the government will take them into a room, render them defenseless, and kill them through one of several torturous methods of execution. This is mental torture.
In some cases, the execution eventually happens. In many other cases, the execution is never carried out. People on death row live out every day not knowing if or when the government will legally kill them. This is another form of mental torture.
Alabama tried and failed to execute Alan Miller by lethal injection on September 22nd. Prison workers stabbed him with needles over and over again for 90 minutes. Now Alabama wants another chance to kill Alan "as soon as possible." theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
The Alabama Department of Corrections was well aware that medical professionals have struggled to access Alan Miller's veins for his entire adult life. Alan weighs 351 pounds. It is extremely difficult for qualified anesthesiologists to access veins on a person of that size.
Alabama's execution IV team is the opposite of qualified. Over the past four years, Alabama's incompetent execution team has botched at least three different lethal injections, including multiple attempted surgical cutdown procedures without any anesthesia.
Today is #IndigenousPeoplesDay. Did you know that the incarceration rate for Native Americans is 38% higher than the national average? Racism and profiling lead to more arrests, harsher sentencing, and more abuse in the prison system for Native Americans.
Native Americans are arrested two times more often than non-indigenous people for property and violent crimes. Statistics also show that Native Americans receive longer sentences from judges and spend more time in prison before parole.
Native Americans have a higher rate of suicide in prison and are often subject to abuse when attempting to identify with their cultures through clothing, language, music, and culturally-related educational material.