Quotations
from Sister Helen Prejean
"...The role of the religious community
is to reconcile what seems irreconcilable: love for death row inmates and their
human dignity, and love for murder victims and their dignity -- and compassion
for the hurt of their family members. Our spiritual energy can unite and
combine what ideology alone can never bring together. We are lovers of justice
and lovers of human beings."
~ Telling Our Stories
"Execution is the opposite of baptism
into a community. Baptism into a community means "We are all connected, we
are all one family and you are part of us." And execution is removing a
person from the human family, step by step, saying, "You are no longer
part of us. You are not human, like we are, and so we can terminate you."
When you hear of the terrible things people have done, you can say they deserve
to die, but the key moral question is "Do we deserve to kill?"
~ Angel on Death Row - FRONTLINE
A Prayer From S Helen
God of
Compassion
You let your rain fall on the just and the unjust.
Expand and deepen our hearts
so that we may love as You love,
even those among us
who have caused the greatest pain by taking life.
For there is in our land a great cry for vengeance
as we fill up death row and kill the killers
in the name of justice, in the name of peace.
Jesus, our brother,
you suffered execution at the hands of the state
but you did not let hatred overcome you
Help us to reach out to victims of violence
so that our enduring love may help them heal.
Holy Spirit of God,
You strengthen us in the struggle for justice,
Help us to work tirelessly
for the abolition of state-sanctioned death
and to renew our society in its very heart
so that violence will be no more.
Amen.
~
Sister Helen Prejean - Official Website