Once again, it has been a while since I have taken the time to blog. It isn’t that I have had writer’s block; I just simply haven’t had time. To say my life has been a blur the last couple of months would be an understatement. In the past 7 months my wife and I had our first child, changed jobs, and moved across the country. However, last night something shook me from my hectic life.
I was trying to unwind from a long day. Channel surfing like it was my job, I was trying to find something worthwhile to fall asleep to. I came across the story of Troy Davis on one of the many news channels. If you haven’t been keeping up with the story, Davis was accused of murder and sentenced to the death penalty. He claimed innocence till the end, and despite a lack of physical evidence against him, he was executed last night and pronounced dead at 11:08 pm EDT.
It’s a controversial story. Some rejoiced. Others wept. As for me, I just kept on channel surfing. It wasn’t until I turned off the TV and reflected on the day that I realized my actions. A man was led to his death but I was more interested in finding a show that could entertain me for 30 minutes. I am sure I am not the only person to have done that last night, and I am certainly not trying to condemn anyone who did. But for me, my lack of concern haunted me as I tried to fall asleep. I have attempted to rationalize my indifference: I don’t know the whole story; I didn’t know Davis or the victim’s family; and I’m not really in a place of power where I could stop such an event. But…does any of that really account for my apathetic gesture last night? Again, a man was executed last night. In the year 2011, in the land of the free and the brave, how can things still end like this? Please don’t get me wrong. I love my country and if Davis was guilty of murder than justice should be served, but not like this. The Catholic Church has a very clear stance on capital punishment:
Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.
Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm – without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself – the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically nonexistent.” CCC 2267
To be pro-life is much more than solely being anti-abortion. As Catholics we are called to respect and defend life from conception to natural death. I didn’t do a great job of that yesterday. Realistically, I know I probably couldn’t have done anything to change the final outcome of the night but does that doesn’t mean I/we have permission to sit around doing nothing?
I thought about ending this blog with some scripture verses, or even some inspirational quotes about taking action from some of the world’s great thinkers. I even thought about adding some links to sites that are committed to ending capital punishment in the States. But, instead, I am going to end this blog by asking you to just take a moment to pray. Pray for our country. Pray for the repose of the soul of Troy Davis. Pray for the soul of Mark MacPhail, the victim, and his family. Pray for our country that we may someday become a country that cherishes life and the dignity of the person. And lastly, pray for me, and pray for you, that we may know how to best value each other and the life that God has given us.
May God have mercy on us all.
