Forgiveness in action

HAVE YOU ever thought of prison as a regrettable waste of manpower? Imagine those mostly able-bodied men locked up in overcrowded cells and deprived of the opportunity to be useful and productive members of society! Some would say, "But they deserve it for having committed crimes!", and yet, doesn't it behoove us to reexamine the pros and cons of penal servitude? Surely there is profitable work even prisoners may be safely engaged in, such as those being done elsewhere in other countries, like employment in a soy factory in Japan, for example. Locally, willing and more dexterous inmates are taught to make souvenir items such as miniature ships inside bottles, simple and inexpensive wood-carved pieces, or decorative items made from recycled plastic containers or colored magazine pages-an income earner and morale booster for them who would otherwise feel inutile, being unemployed. There must be a way of balancing justice and mercy in a penal system, a way that would make an inmate both recognize his culpability and feel the merciful hand of God in his life in prison.

The dancing inmates of Cebu somehow mirror this wonderful balance. "You are forgiven" are words not just spoken but also manifested in faith in the good side of a person. Encouraging hundreds of inmates to dance-and in unison, at that-is tantamount to telling them: "You have a soul and it is capable of harmony, of bringing joy to others, and of praising your Creator." Watching the dancing inmates perform, you don't think of the crimes they have committed but only of how the seeds of their negative past have been sown and nurtured with compassion in order to bloom into something that amazes the whole world. In turn, the public acceptance of their unique contribution to society restores the inmates' self-confidence and gives them hope for a grace-filled future.