Go To Jail

The outcast, the poor, the little ones always come before the Church and
before each one of us holding a gift. It's the gift of those things we
hate: insecurity, disability, a not-so-smart mind, a sexual problem or
addiction. We shun anyone who isn't like us who hasn't succeeded in our
system---like people in jail.
We need the corporal works of mercy. Go to jail, we are told. Why? We
thought to help others or to be a 'good' Christian, but those aren't the
reasons. We need to go to jail to get converted ourselves. We must go to
the edges and discover what the questions really are, what true success
is, and we must face our own failure.
I was able to live with my illusions as long as I stayed out of the
jail. I mistakenly thought prisoners were the bad people.

from: Breathing Under Water:Spirituality and the 12 Steps (Fr. Richard Rohr)
thanks to Marti Flemming for the contribution