020 Death Row Ministry with Jen Trausch

by Catherine | May 16, 2018 | Podcast

It’s episode 20!  Woo-hoo!  Thank you for all of your support and cheerleading of While You Were Folding!

This week, I have a great episode to share with you.  Jen Trausch shared about her experience ministering to the men on death row in the state of Nebraska.  She shared what the experience is like, how it has changed her view of forgiveness/worthiness, and showed her how to be the Face of Christ for others.

Two of my favorite quotes:

“We just sit and talk and eat Twizzler’s.”

“It’s like a neighborhood block party with neighbors I’ve never met before.”

Links/Resources Mentioned this episode:

NAPD (Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty)

NACC (National Association of Catholic Chaplains)

The Corporal Works of Mercy

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

2267 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.”

2306 Those who renounce violence and bloodshed and, in order to safeguard human rights, make use of those means of defense available to the weakest, bear witness to evangelical charity, provided they do so without harming the rights and obligations of other men and societies. They bear legitimate witness to the gravity of the physical and moral risks of recourse to violence, with all its destruction and death.

56. This is the context in which to place the problem of the death penalty. On this matter there is a growing tendency, both in the Church and in civil society, to demand that it be applied in a very limited way or even that it be abolished completely. The problem must be viewed in the context of a system of penal justice ever more in line with human dignity and thus, in the end, with God’s plan for man and society. The primary purpose of the punishment which society inflicts is “to redress the disorder caused by the offence”.⁴⁶ Public authority must redress the violation of personal and social rights by imposing on the offender an adequate punishment for the crime, as a condition for the offender to regain the exercise of his or her freedom. In this way authority also fulfils the purpose of defending public order and ensuring people’s safety, while at the same time offering the offender an incentive and help to change his or her behaviour and be rehabilitated. ⁴⁷

It is clear that, for these purposes to be achieved, the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent.

In any event, the principle set forth in the new Catechism of the Catholic Church remains valid: “If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person”

Art Display: A few of “the guys,” (Jose Sandoval, Jorge Galindo, and Raymond Mata), created works of art for Jen and her dad.  These completed works are on display along with information about Jen’s ministry in the parlor of First Presbyterian Church in Lincoln (17th and F St).

Jen’s book recommendations mentioned in the episode:

• Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
• Making Manna by Eric Lotke

A recent 5-star read that I shared: 7 Secrets of Confession by Vinny Flynn

Clearly, Jen and I aren’t very good at light, “beachy” reads.  🙂  Send us your breezy summer book titles!

Get in touch!  Send questions or topic suggestions my way.  As always, you can e-mail me at podcastATcatherineboucherDOTcom or find me on Facebook or Instagram

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