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“Give your life to Christ – He is here”
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December 20, 2023More than 110 inmates of the McConnell Unit came together for a festive Christmas Vigil Mass with Bishop Mulvey. It was a special day for the Catholic inmates: the choir had practiced Christmas songs, altar servers and ushers were ready, and after the mass, a reception with pastries followed.
The Bishop asked the audience two questions in his homily: “Where are you?” As God asked Adam when he was hiding after eating from the forbidden tree, we could easily fall into the trap of just doing what we want but not what God has in mind. “God asks you, ‘Where are you?’ He wants us to recognize that He always waits for us.”
The second question was, “Where is your brother?” Just as God asked Cain, he now asks us if we love our neighbors. With these two questions, the Bishop continued, Jesus will help us to get to the point where we can give our lives to Him. “And that will be Christmas – Jesus is here, with each of us.”
One inmate, who was raised as a Muslim, celebrated his first Christmas - together with eight others, he was received into the Church at the end of May. For each of them, it was a very special celebration. After the Mass, where the inmates collected prayer intentions, they stayed together for a moment of fellowship, before the daily life in prison continued.
