I have written in the past about writing prisoners. I did not plan it, but now I am writing a number of them on a regular basis. It is interesting reading their letters and finding out about their lives and how they deal with prison life. Because I am a monk, most who write tell me that they are seeking another way in dealing with life. They have found that Christ Jesus is a true savior for them and for the first time some are feeling hope that their life can be different once they get out. They also know that in prison they live in a black and white environment but once on the outside, it is the gray areas that will be the real test for them. So I encourage them to develop disciplines that will help them when they get out.
The ones, who just want something from me, stop writing when they see that I will not allow myself to be manipulated. I have found that they are in the minority. Yet again I am a monk, so I won’t get certain kinds of correspondence. Also when writing prisoners the injunction to ‘Be as wise as serpents but gentle as a dove” needs to be lived out. People, who are very emotional and tend to get attached easily, probably should not write prisoners who are not family members.
I would like to share part of a letter I sent to a prisoner. I believe that he has a deep longing for God and was very truthful with me about his life. So I am sending this to allow others to see that prisoners are just people, perhaps people with impulse problems, yet no different from most of us. So pray for him and for all prisoners…and write if you feel called to do so. If anyone is interested in writing a prisoner, I can share a name or two, but it would be up to each writer to use caution until trust develops. Trust takes time.
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Dear Timothy,
Good hearing from my friend. I write another prisoner there, his name is Sean, and not sure you would know him. Thank you for sharing so much about yourself with me.
The first step in the conversion process is to take responsibility for your life and choices. I am happy to see you are doing that. If we don’t do that, we stay victims and can’t get up. That is something I think we all struggle with….taking responsibility and then starting over if we have to….perhaps more than once. It does not matter; it is where you are today that counts. I am glad that you were able to get you time in prison reduced.
You seem to have a thirst for God, it is the living waters that will satisfy your heart and soul my friend, though we all must go through the desert, a place that seems dry and dead and pathless, yet it is where our faith deepens and we take deeper root in Christ Jesus. Slowly we learn to love the Lord for himself alone and not for what he can do for us….it is then that we fill a true outpouring of the Spirit imparting the greatest of gifts, the gift of Love as stated in the 13 chapter of 1 Cor.
You have 72 men in your cell block? I guess it would get noisy alright. I am glad that you can deal with it by reading and praying. Don’t fight the noise it will only tire you out. If you seek the Lord and pray, you will find that eventually it will be just back ground sound and your ability to concentrate will grow in proportion to your desire to go inward.
When you get out, if you still have the desire for monastic life you can contact me. It takes time to enter. We may want you to reintegrate into society for awhile before you enter here. Also you would come for visits and stay with us living in the community for a time. We call that an observer-ship. You see if you like it, and of course we observe you as well. It is not easy living in community, for we are human, so you must have the ability to be flexible with others. All the men here want to be part of this community, each with his own struggles as he deepens his conversion towards Christ…..it takes a lifetime.
You mentioned anger. I believe that is something most men struggle with. I do, it has kept me humble. I also understand lust, what man doesn’t. Lust can take away the sacredness of another person and make them into an object, which is why it can go so wrong. I am sorry that it ended a 12 year marriage, which must have been very painful for all involved.
Well your life there, while not easy has a routine where you can deepen your interior life and develop disciplines that will help you when you get out. I guess you know of course how chaotic life is outside of prison…many people don’t have a routine; they just try to get through the day without any real center to work from. Hopefully you will become solid in your love of the Lord.
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
