Part 5
Never count them out. Fr. Cresenciano Ubod, head of the Cebu Archdiocesan Prison Apostolate (CAPA), said those locked behind bars should be cared for, not judged.
“It’s not that we don’t want them to answer for their offenses. But, as human beings like us, they need to be cared for. Remember, Jesus identifies himself with the least, including those in prison. The Lord, too, was once arrested (and detained) overnight although he did not commit any wrongdoing,” he said.
Ubod said visiting and caring for those in prison is one of the corporal works of mercy.
“It is our mission to make them (prisoners) aware that Jesus loves them. They need to feel that they are being cared for and loved by God and by someone,” Ubod told CDN.
“Remember that Jesus came to the world not for the righteous but for the sinners. It is Jesus himself who said that if He has a
hundred sheep and loses one, he will leave the 99 to search for that missing sheep. And that is true with our mission to bring
our missing brothers and sisters back to the shepherd’s fold,” he added.
CAPA volunteers regularly visit detention facilities in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay to preach the word
of God and educate prisoners about Christian virtues.
They also distribute rice, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, slippers and other necessities to the prisoners.
Ubod said Scripture proves how God cares for prisoners. He cited the Gospel of St. Matthew: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory… the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you… For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed
me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”
“… when did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you
did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
Most of the inmates are Catholics. There are also other Christian denominations and Muslims, who hold prayer services in jail.
Ubod said many prisoners have been very receptive to his call to change for the better.
“I know of prisoners who only discovered who God is inside the jail. Then they began to transform their lives. And I told them
in jest, ‘Mas buotan pa man mo sa pari (You’re more kind than priests),” Ubod quipped.
Last April 17, 59 delegates from 47 countries composed of bishops, priests, nuns and lay people visited the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC).
They were here for the final meeting for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), which will be held in Cebu City from
January 24 to 31, 2016.
The delegates witnessed a 45-minute dance performance of the world-renowned dancing inmates. They were awed by the enthusiasm of the detainees.
“It’s wonderful to see these men dancing for joy compared to the freemen,” said Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the IEC Pontifical Committee and the longtime liturgist of now Saint John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Fr. Rolando Santos, a Filipino bishop assigned in Papua New Guinea, said he is looking forward to returning to the CPDRC during the IEC next year.
“I was very touched seeing them joyful and able to entertain even while they are detained,” he said.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma urged the inmates never to lose hope amid the struggles behind bars and to be a living inspiration of change.
“You may be inside the walls of this rehabilitation center but what is important is what is inside your heart. In your heart, there
is peace. In your heart, there is joy. In your heart, there is Jesus,” the prelate said.
The presence of visitors and groups in jail helps some inmates cope with loneliness and suicidal inclinations of prisoners.
Ubod said he always reminds prisoners to embrace their sufferings behind bars and never to be swallowed by despair.
“I often tell them to go through the pain without complaint because in every suffering, there’s a corresponding happiness, a
hundred times greater than the pain experienced,” he said.
In carrying out the Church’s ministry, Ubod said they need to make sure that prisoners will realize their worth and dis-
cover the good they are capable of doing.
“They have to understand that as human beings, they have the capacity to do great things. If we only condemn them, we’re
not helping them at all,” he said.
“They are like bonsai trees. They don’t grow because we put them in pots instead of planting them in the ground for them to grow taller and bigger,” he added.