Exploring Social Justice

I know I have been woefully remiss in posting to my blog this week. I'm reminded of the person who said "I have no time to scrapbook - I'm too busy making scrap!" Nevertheless, I try to both live a meaningful life and find time to record it!

Last night, I met with my spiritual director. I can't even begin to tell you how much I look forward to these monthly meetings. It is a place where I can be truly honest and explore my relationship with God and others in a supportive context. A "spiritual friend" is a wonderful thing to have. If you are wondering if a spiritual director is right for you, you can find out more at:

Spiritual Direction

Anyway, after my meeting, my director mentioned that she was going over to Elms College to listen to a talk by Sr. Helen Prejean of "Dead Man Walking" fame, and she invited me to come along. Elms is my alma mater and I also worked there for several years, so I tend to always take advantage of an opportunity to go.

While I had heard of Sr. Helen, I confess that I have never read the book or seen the movie, and I had no idea what to expect. The auditorium was packed and the talk was amazing. What a dynamic woman! She comes from New Orleans and the headquarters for her ministry were wiped out by Hurricane Katrina, yet here she was still speaking, still pushing for equal rights, still fighting against the death penalty. In addition, she has a wonderful sense of humor which one would not expect on a topic as serious as that of the death penalty. She can be serious when called for, however, and as she recalled the story that inspired "Dead Man Walking," I felt ill and also amazed by the amount of forgiveness the father of a murdered boy had. As much as I am against the death penalty, I am also a parent, and it is hard to imagine how I would feel if faced with the horror of one of my children being murdered. It is not something I ever ever want to go through. Yet, this man did, and still he forgave, and reached out to the mother of the murderers. That is a true Christian.

The evening was very thought-provoking, as such evenings should be. And I am left wondering what my role should be in working for justice in this world.