The St. Louis Review, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, published an article in its July 24-30, 2023, edition with some elements of my homily from July 16. Here are the first few paragraphs:
The Gospel reading for July 16 recounted Jesus’ parable of the seed and the sower: The seed that falls on thorny ground withers and dies; the seed that falls on rich soil bears much fruit.
As Deacon Joe Mueller of Sacred Heart Parish in Valley Park prayed with the readings while preparing his homily, one issue came to mind.
“Is the Catholic teaching against the death penalty a thorn in our rich, pro-life hearts?” he asked the congregation during Mass July 16.
For Valley Park residents, the next scheduled execution in Missouri hits close to home: Johnny Johnson is set to die Aug. 1 for the 2002 murder of 6-year-old Casey Williamson, which happened across the train tracks from the parish.
Read the rest of the article here…
The print edition also contained a paragraph 2267 from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.
Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.
Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”, [Francis, Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, 11 October 2017] and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.
The print edition also included five items under the heading, “What can I do to help end the death penalty in Missouri?”
- Pray. Both personal and communal liturgical prayer are sources of spiritual strength for living out the pro-life commitment to which the Gospel calls us. Our prayer is often a source of strength for others as well, particularly as we pray for those to be executed, their families, the victims and the victims’ families.
- Sign clemency petitions for those facing imminent execution. Clemency petitions can be found on the Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty website: madpmo.org/clemencycampaigns
- Contact your state senator and representative and ask them to abolish the death penalty in Missouri. Find information about senators and representatives here: house.mo.gov/legislatorlookup.aspx
- Support Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty and the Catholic Mobilizing Network, the national Catholic effort to end the death penalty: madpmo.org and catholicsmobilizing.org
- Join the archdiocesan Office of Peace & Justice to participate in a prayer vigil outside the Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre during an execution, Including Johnny Johnson’s scheduled execution on Aug. 1. For more information, contact Marie Kenyon at (314) 792-7062 or mariekenyon@archstl.org.
Uncommon Catholic 