Last month, in my Enders Island Pastel Class, I met a fellow student who is a retired female Secret Service agent. Her job took her all over the world and she utilized her skill with watercolors to record lovely scenes from her travels. Her job has also given her great material for storytelling!
We learned that the U.S. Secret Service doesn’t just protect political leaders and their families; they also safeguard our nation’s financial infrastructure. That includes investigating counterfeit currency as well as credit card, bank, and computer fraud, along with numerous other cybercrimes.
She told an interesting story about a criminal whom they had been investigating. The time came for them to apprehend him, and they had state police available to help. Agents followed in their vehicles when the two troopers pulled the suspect over in what should have been considered “just a routine traffic stop.” As the two officers approached the suspect in his vehicle, he took off and it turned into a high-speed chase. The suspect eventually pulled off the road and “bailed out,” running full speed in one direction and his partner in crime running the opposite way. The chase ended with both good and bad guys panting for breath – including the state police canine. The criminal was convicted and spent many years in prison.
We can feel satisfied that the good guys won and justice was served. However, if the story ended there, my new friend probably wouldn’t have bothered sharing it.
More encouraging is the epilogue. Both retired, she and her former law enforcement husband lived on the East Coast when they needed a home repair and hired a man based on a recommendation. After he completed the job skillfully, my friend mentioned to her husband, “He looks familiar…” She recognized him as the criminal they had apprehended years earlier. They have hired him several times since; he hasn’t recognized them. He turned his life around and is clearly grateful for second chances and the opportunity to utilize his skills and talents to support society now.
Too often we hear stories of convicts who are never successfully rehabilitated. Yet there are many success stories also. We need to pray for those who have taken the wrong path. God knows their potential and has given them wonderful gifts and talents that only they can fulfill in his Kingdom, too.
Escritura: Read Isaiah 61:1, Hebrews 13:3. What stands out?
Llamamiento a la acción: We pray for souls doing time in Purgatory. Let us pray also for the conversion of our brothers and sisters who are held in earthly prisons.
