Since Then

Since Then

By Paul McCann

Warren was a street thug , who sold drugs and did armed hold ups .

He also was part of a gang who collected money from shop owners with the threat of burning down their businesses if they didn’t pay up  .

He used the excuse of being an orphan that made him the way he was .

He went too far one day and killed a man who refused to pay his weekly protection money and when he walked out the front door of the small business the police where already there waiting for him and arrested him . He went to court and was found guilty of murder and went to prison for fifteen years ..

Prison life was not easy for Warren , he had always called the shots and been in charge and so adapting prison rules went against his nature .

He started to accept prison life and made some friends inside . He had time on his hands to think about his life and started to realise that he hadn’t been a nice person . Something inside him was changing .

Some of the prison officers could see that he had changed and offered him the chance to join in some of the activities and programs available for inmates that were well behaved .

The biggest change in Warren’s rehabilitation was when he was invited to play the role of Joseph in the nativity play at Christmas for the inmates and their families .

It was just before Christmas and family members were visiting the prison with gifts and cards . It was always a nice way of bringing some good cheer  for the prisoners . One evening a mini-bus arrived with a group of orphan children who were going to sing Christman carols for the prisoners and staff at the prison .

Silent Night echoed all around the prison who would have ever thought that these murderers and gang members would be reduced to tears by a small group or orphan children . That night many hard heart hearts were softened with the message the orphan children had brought . Warren saw how wrong he had been to have used the excuse of being an orphan for turning bad . This was the moment when Warren opened the door for God to come into his life .

That Christmas was the first real Christmas that Warren had ever really known .

New year came and Warren was a new man . He read the bible each day and asked if he could have a visit from a priest .

Something precious had happened to Warren in prison . He found God and as soon as he was released from prison he wanted to give the rest of his life serving God in any way God could use him .The years passed and Warren attended church regularly , he started a reflection time with the Wardens permission and was now reformed his character .

It was a miraculous thing and no one could have predicted anything like this could happen

Warren often used the story of Saul being turned around on the road to Damascus and how he became one of Christ’s apostles .

 He was part of the scripture group in prison and the priest who came to say mass each week in prison asked Warren to assist him at the altar and to do some of the bible readings .

Everyone who had known Warren were amazed at the difference in him .

The prison warden and parole board realized that he could be released early due to the change in his behaviour and they proceeded to make arrangements for that to happen .

He had come to prison a hard criminal and through his loneliness and abandonment he could understand all his feelings of hurt, rejection and guilt  .

He face all that and admitted he made some mistakes and has stood there on that solid ground where God found a way to bring healing and blessings into his heart

Some of the hardest  criminals who had seen the change in Warren also were changed in their own thinking   . One of two of the inmates had promised to try to change . So new leaves were being turned over in other cell blocks with an intention to go straight after their sentence was finished . After Warren was released some of his gang members came to pick him up .When they saw how he had changed they asked him what had happened and he replied .

“A lot has happened since then .”

Warren entered the religious life and was ordained a priest and spent the rest of his life in a parish helping his congregation every way he could .

The End