Last night the Commonwealth of Virginia executed John Allen Muhammad. I remember how he frightened us seven years ago when the media called him, “the sniper.” What he and his young friend did changed lives forever – tore at the very fabric of the human heart. There was death and grief and terror. The pair took ten lives in VA, MD and DC. The closest shooting to our monastery - the crime for which Mr. Muhammad was executed - was 6 miles away in nearby Manassas. Those were terrible days… I remember some sisters would no longer go into town. We parked buses in front of our elementary school to shield the children from the dense woods that surround our property. They were kept inside all day until the madness stopped.
Now, seven years later, the man responsible for these horrors is dead. The local paper has given the front page to the details of the execution. Why do we care what the man was wearing? That his heart stopped at 9:11 PM? I don’t understand why we do it – execute people. There is an old folk song that asks: “Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?” That question has never left me. Our Church has spoken clearly against the death penalty - that it be used only if there is no other way to secure the safety of the people. This stance is a logical extension of the sacredness of all human life “from the womb to the tomb.” It would seem that “you shall not kill” applies to the innocent as well as the guilty. Two-thousand years ago an innocent man was executed by the government. He hung between two criminals – one hard as stone and the other ready to seek forgiveness. He died with them…and for them both. He died so that death would no longer hold us hostage. In the absence of that fear, we are capable of great love. Death is a natural doorway – not a punishment. May GOD forgive John Allen Muhammad for killing those ten precious people and may GOD forgive us for killing him.
Blessings and love to you all...
- Sister Vicki
Now, seven years later, the man responsible for these horrors is dead. The local paper has given the front page to the details of the execution. Why do we care what the man was wearing? That his heart stopped at 9:11 PM? I don’t understand why we do it – execute people. There is an old folk song that asks: “Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?” That question has never left me. Our Church has spoken clearly against the death penalty - that it be used only if there is no other way to secure the safety of the people. This stance is a logical extension of the sacredness of all human life “from the womb to the tomb.” It would seem that “you shall not kill” applies to the innocent as well as the guilty. Two-thousand years ago an innocent man was executed by the government. He hung between two criminals – one hard as stone and the other ready to seek forgiveness. He died with them…and for them both. He died so that death would no longer hold us hostage. In the absence of that fear, we are capable of great love. Death is a natural doorway – not a punishment. May GOD forgive John Allen Muhammad for killing those ten precious people and may GOD forgive us for killing him.
Blessings and love to you all...
- Sister Vicki
