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A better prayer for prisons
['Phil Christman', 'Phil Christman Is A Lecturer At The University Of Michigan', 'Author Of']
The Christian Century - Thoughtful, Independent, Progressive
But whenever the Episcopalians do get around to revising, I want to make some suggestions regarding Prayer #37, “For Prisons and Correctional Institutions.”First of all, just call it “For Prisons”—avoid the euphemism.
The prayer runs in full:“Lord Jesus, for our sake you were condemned as a criminal: Visit our jails and prisons with your pity and judgment.
Prisons are good at sequestering people, but courts aren’t always great at separating the guilty from the innocent.
I think the US prison system exists in part to satisfy a deep national hunger to sacrifice somebody.
Help us to remember our guilt and maintain our repentance, so that we may better lead others through guilt to repentance.