"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free."

Details: 06 January 2012

As the Christmas Season draws to a close, let us ponder the words of one of the better-known priests of the old covenant Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth (a cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of God) and the father of John the Baptist.

As you recall, he was temporarily struck dumb because he didn’t believe the words of the archangel Gabriel who told him his wife Elizabeth, well past childbearing age, would bear him a son who he was to name John.

On the eighth day after the birth of John the Baptist, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, his tongue was finally loosed, after which he prophesied, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people" (Lk 1:68). Another translation is rendered, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free."

Although not exclusive to Catholic Social Services, one of its areas of service is to those who are incarcerated in prison. That said, there are a number of priests of the diocese who regularly minister and visit prisoners in prisons and jails across southern Nebraska.

Last year, one of the priests who visit inmates for CSS had the privilege of getting to know a man who started coming to his bible study/catechism class. After a while, the man in confidence told the priest the details of his life, the circumstances of his arrest and incarceration, and that he was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Immediately after hearing what kind of cancer he had, the priest figured the man had about six months to live. Before long, the man received the sacrament of penance (Jn 20:23) and the Blessed Sacrament (Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22:19-20; Jn 6:48-59; 1 Cor 11:23-29). He then started attending Mass on a regular basis.

Visiting prisoners in the prison hospital is a unique experience. After clearing security, walking through a metal detector and getting patted down, one is led to the hospital ward. Each individual room is locked. The big metal doors are unlocked and locked each and every time the patient needs something.

When the time drew near, the visiting priest obtained the needed permission to bring the oil of the sick to the dying man. After a wonderful conversation, the man received the sacraments once again, including confession and the anointing of the sick (James 5:14-15).

The peace and joy of the sick man will never be forgotten by the priest and most likely by the prison staff. Not long after this, the priest offered the holy Sacrifice of the Mass for his happy repose.

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free." Of course this means that the Son of God took on flesh to save us from the slavery of sin and death and the power of the devil. This is what he sets us free from. As for the man mentioned above, while in prison, after turning to Christ, he was set free from sin and the devil and after death, he was set free from his physical imprisonment.

Please pray for the many men and women who are in the jails and prisons across the diocese and for the priests and laity who care for them spiritually. Please pray for our benefactors who support prison ministry for Catholic Social Services for with their support bibles and other good Catholic reading materials can be purchased for the inmates, all for the purpose of setting them free.