Monday Meditation
stop the killing
In 1987 I was ordained to the pastor ministry. To honor that occasion, two of my close friends, who regularly visited prisoners on Florida’s death row, sent me a hand-written prayer, artfully designed by death row prisoner Willie Darden. Though I never met Willie, I did correspond with him. He was a person of resolute faith who declared his innocence all the way to the execution, shortly after my ordination. I’ve kept the prayer that Willie wrote close, in order to remember him, and remember those who are in similar circumstances. The prayer, featured below with his hand-written signature, says:
O living Christ make us conscious now of thy healing nearness.
Touch our eyes that may see thee;
open our eyes that we may hear thy voice;
enter our hearts that we may know thy love.
Overshadow our souls and bodies
with they presence
that we may partake of thy strength,
thy love and thy healing life.
Amen.
I call this to mind because this nation continues the heinous practice of capital punishment, which, in my judgment, under all circumstances is morally wrong. It is excruciatingly wrong when an innocent person is executed. Yet, is likely that another innocent person was killed by the state of Missouri. Marcellus Williams proclaimed his innocence until his death. Among the evidence of innocence was the absence of any of his DNA at the crime scene and the declaration of the prosecution that he was innocent. Family members of the victim declared his innocence. The state’s attorney journal issued at report declaring the same, yet that report was never read and dismissed by a newly elected governor who said about the execution “we been at this too long, it’s time to get it done.”
Since 1973, at least 200 people have been exonerated from death row in the United States, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The Innocence Project is tracking cases, and is aware of many more who innocent yet it is impossible know who many of those executed were innocent of their crime.
I continue to hope for the day when capital punishment will no longer be allowed in any state of this nation. The prayer of Willie Darden is a constant reminder.
