April 2010

Christ is Risen!

Can you imagine having no contact with family, friends or even enemies? One of those we correspond with is in Pelican Bay prison in California This maximum security prison isolates inmates where they have almost no human contact. He never sees the outside. There is no doubt he is serving time for unspeakable dark deeds. Yet even the most disliked of our society need to know the good news of Jesus Christ. Only God knows the repentant cry of a sinner.

I recently sent a "Pascha" card that I felt would be a window out of the solitude many of our flock face. It was a simple postcard of a valley of beautiful blooming flowers. Can you imagine seeing nothing but concrete? The flower postcards we sent were windows into God's creation.

Here is part of his letter recently written to us:

"Thank you for sending me the colorful postcard of a flower garden. I had just been ruminating on how I hadn't seen or felt the warmth of the sunshine since last year when suddenly at mail time I received your postcard which gave me an instant window into the vibrant real world beyond this barbaric dungeon.

Please keep me in your prayers, I'm stuck in a desolate desert, no palm dates, a drought has crusted the earth. I need a tribe of Saints to smuggle one or two blessings. They don't allow us to utilize the phone services, so I'm going to try to bang on the floor like morse code, maybe I can sample a trickling of the inheritance of the Saints."

— Joe
We have been involved with the homeless, incarcerated and hurting people for 35 years...wow I feel old! As long as this world turns we will have hurting people looking for that spiritual dimension missing from their lives. There is an answer, but one has to bend their neck to the Holy of Israel for the answers about true life. He is the only one who can bring fulfillment and abundant life unto those beat down by sin.

Please check out the web site for the Fellowship of St. Silas. May our good Lord keep and protect you.

Fr. David Ogan