If There is One Thing I am Sure of, it's that God Can Always Surprise Us
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In 1993, James was still in prison, working at a hospice in a medical facility for prisoners under the supervision of the Rev. Jack Isbell, an Episcopal priest. One night a dying prisoner asked James some hard questions about his beliefs. That night James was graced with an experience of God. He felt Christ's love and recognized the possibility of forgiveness. James describes this as the night that "God came and found the misfit."
The hospice experience led James on a journey of Christian discovery. He immersed himself in religious study and work, both in prison and by establishing links outside prison. He joined what became his home parish, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Berkeley. He was accepted as a seminary student at CDSP, the first ever to enroll from prison. I have not yet met James myself, but people we both know are impressed with the sincerity of his faith, the quality of his academic work, and most of all, his gift for pastoral ministry. James has earned two master's degrees from CDSP. And on July 4th this year, in an extremely unusual jailhouse ceremony, James was ordained a transitional deacon by Bishop Swing of the Diocese of California.
By now, James has served almost twenty years in prison. So far he has had four parole hearings, and, despite eloquent letters from seminary professors, priests, and members of the prison community, parole was denied each time. James' next parole hearing is in less than a week, on October 27th. Things look more hopeful this time. Not only does California have a new governor who is more open to granting parole, but of more importance for James's case, the Santa Barbara DA has already announced that he no longer opposes parole for James.
Although James imminent release from prison is uncertain, his ordination as a priest is not. Some might find it difficult to conceive of a convicted murderer being ordained as a priest. But as Bishop Swing says, "There is something at the core of the Gospel of Christ that is about resurrection and James has an opportunity in the future to witness to what the Gospel is all about."
The other story I want to tell you is about another man in prison for murder. His name is Jay Siripongs. Jay, a native of Thailand, was convicted in 1983 of two murders that were committed during a robbery. Garden Grove market owner, Pakawan Watta-naporn and store clerk, Quach Nguyen, were both killed. Jay admitted to involvement in the robbery, but he denied having committed the murders. However, because he refused to give the name of his accomplice, he was convicted of the two murders and sentenced to death.
As a youth, Jay had temporarily taken Buddhist monastic ordination, a common Thai cultural practice. Once he was in prison, he used the meditation training he had received and developed into a deeply spiritual person. Guards and fellow prisoners alike testified to his peaceful behavior while he was in prison, and on the remarkably calming influence he had on other inmates. Jay also became an accomplished artist. He often used butterflies in his paintings as a symbol of the process of growing and changing. There were many appeals to commute Jay's death sentence to life imprisonment, appeals that were supported by a number of prison guards and even the warden of San Quentin.
So far, Jay's and James' stories seem to have had a lot in common. They have one big difference, though. The next chapter in James' story is still being written. There are no next chapters for Jay. On February 9, 1999, Jay Siripongs was executed by the State of California by lethal injection. We don't know, and probably will never know, whether Jay actually committed the murders for which he was put to death.
During his last days, Jay had a spiritual advisor, a Buddhist monk names Ajahn Passano. Passano reports that Jay was very kind and thoughtful of the prison staff during his last days. At one point the monk asked Jay, "Is there anyone you have not forgiven yet?" Passano says he had in mind the system, his parents, maybe others. However, Jay thought about it for awhile and then said quietly, "I haven’t forgiven myself completely."
The night of Jay's execution, my sister Kathleen was outside the prison as part of an anti death penalty group keeping vigil. It was a stormy, cold night. Kathleen told me that the most amazing part of the experience was the chanting of the Buddhist monks. She said that they seemed oblivious to the rain and the noise and people around them, and that their chanting created an incredibly unexpected and peaceful feeling in the crowd. Apparently Jay was also calm and composed in death.