Holy Week means hope for prisoners
Everybody loves a “second chance.” Unless it’s for a prisoner. Then we have “second thoughts.” Prosecutors and victims’ rights groups argue that those who lost their lives in heinous crimes won’t get a second chance. Why, then, should the perpetrator? And so, unlike the country of Norway where they believe that every life is redeemable , all persons can be rehabilitated, and there is no such thing as life without parole...unlike that remarkable nation, we love life sentences and even the death penalty! Punishment and retribution reduce crime, right? (It hasn’t worked yet!) But then, in Lent, comes the poignant story of Dismas. And all protestants say, “Who the heck is Dismas?” Many Catholics do, as well. Well, that’s the name that was given to the penitent thief on the cross, one of the guys getting crucified next to Jesus, Only Dr. Luke publishes this story. One criminal taunted Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” And then the o