Selfless and Loving

 

            The Divine Liturgy had reached its halfway point, at which the priest emerged from the altar to deliver his homily. “We read in Scripture about the importance of loving God, loving your neighbor, caring for the sick, giving to the poor and visiting those in prison,” he said, “if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, your life must be more than simply believing particular doctrines in a mere academic sense. There must be actions accompanying your faith, love for your neighbor, and providing love and protection for those in need. Someone suggested to me that as a parish we should gather after our midday meal and discuss the details of visiting those in prison and bringing hope and love to them.”

               The priest concluded his homily by emphasizing the importance of actions being part of the life of the Christian and not merely an academic approach to taking the label “Christian” upon oneself. The homily was finished; several prayers were spoken as well as a great deal of singing by the choir. Communion was served to those who had been involved in confession either the night before or at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. The service concluded with many prayers by the deacons, by the priests, and glorious singing by the choir.

               The holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ was venerated and over the next several minutes, everyone gathered in the dining hall to enjoy a lovingly prepared meal. The prayer of thanksgiving was spoken and sung, everyone took their seats, enjoyed the wonderful food, and sadly a handful of people finished their food, left for their homes, and offered goodbye to their loved ones. The priest rang the bell to obtain everyone’s attention, reminding them that a brief meeting would be held to communicate how they as a parish could connect with and develop friendships with those who were currently imprisoned.

               Names and contact information were collected from those who wanted to be involved in visiting those in prison and bring hope and love to them who had no one else visiting them. The meeting came to an end, and the priest excused everyone with the assurance that once all of the details and needs were determined, everyone interested would be contacted and everything would be explained.

               The two priests and the two deacons sat together and watched as everyone left the meeting. Now with a list of twenty-five people interested in connecting with those in prison, assignments were handed out between the four men, knowing that several phone calls needed to be made with the hope that there were enough people in the men’s prison and the women’s prison who desired to receive visitors. The two priests and the two deacons interacted in a loving and friendly manner, bid one another goodbye with the promise that as everything was brought into place, all of the details would be communicated to those who were interested in being involved in prison visitation.

               Three full weeks passed and many phone calls were made to the men’s prison and the women’s prison. Both deacons learned that there were plenty of people currently incarcerated who were interested in receiving visitors. The two priests made plans to meet with those in authority in both prisons to match up visitors with current inmates. Several days passed and four meetings were scheduled, which brought about the opportunity for all twenty-five people on the list to connect with those currently incarcerated.

               The following Sunday after the Divine Liturgy and during the midday meal, the head priest communicated all that had been accomplished and called for everyone who had signed up to be involved in the prison visitation to meet with he, the other priest, and the two deacons to explain how visitation would work. “The prison has a carefully planned calendar and each person currently incarcerated has specific days that they can receive visitors. I will send out emails to everyone involved so you understand how to begin the visitation process,” he said. “This is a very good thing we are doing, there are many people currently in prison who simply have no one visiting them, this is a wonderful opportunity to love our neighbor, to bring hope and joy into someone’s life. You will receive an email with the details about how to gain permission to visit your person.”

               The head priest crafted an email with an attachment for everyone involved with their name and the name of those they would be visiting in prison. Everyone was encouraged and reminded to act quickly, fill out the necessary forms, and begin visiting as soon as possible. Six weeks passed and all twenty-five people filled out their forms, received permission to begin visiting their people on the inside. Once everyone had been approved, the head priest called another meeting and encouraged everyone to share their thoughts and their experience as they visited with and interacted with those currently incarcerated.

               Over the next three months, many stories were shared, many wonderful situations were explained as a radical change was seen in the lives of those who were being visited. Fifteen of the original twenty-five volunteers were excited to share that the people they had been visiting would be released within the next month to begin a life of productivity, a life that contributed something of value to their society, with plans of new employment, new relationships and wonderful interaction.

               Over time, many of those who were being visited began to occasionally attend the Divine Liturgy and became like family with everyone in the parish. As the weeks began to pass, the parish consistently saw fifteen people begin regularly attending, sharing their excitement and thankfulness for the kindness shown to them over the last many months. Eventually all fifteen of these new attendees, chose to be baptized and become part of the parish. After the large baptismal service, a large celebration was planned with a great deal of beautifully prepared food, dessert, and drinks. Everyone in the parish attended the baptismal service and with great joy celebrated with the inclusion of so many new people into the parish.

               As the months continued to flow past, the new members began to connect and interact with many in the congregation and began bringing family members and friends in their excitement as being part of a loving and kind community. The head priest paid careful attention to the lifestyles and attitudes of the new members, encouraging them to spend more time in prayer and the reading of Scripture than in social media or watching the news. Many in the parish began to notice a difference in the way that the new members spoke, acted, and interacted with others, thrilled at the radical change that was taking place in their lives.

               Ten of the fifteen new members met with the head priest to discuss the idea of them continuing the effort of visiting those currently incarcerated, knowing that the kindness they received from those in the parish helped them move toward lives of productivity, kindness, and love, feeling moved to contribute something of excellence to their communities and social circles. The head priest praised them for their thoughtfulness and willingness to step up and be a good part of the community.

A full year passed and eventually those who were visiting those currently incarcerated began to attend the Divine Liturgy with their visitors. As the priests and deacons emerged from the altar, they began to notice how full the sanctuary had become with the addition of so many new people.