THE POWER OF STORIES AT POLLSMOOR

”A good story keeps on growing. A good story never dies.”
(Ben Okri)

This is certainly the experience of our Pollsmoor Prison Team who is busy finishing a course on Jesus’ well known story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Our weekly discussions with a group of young students have brought us all closer to the gentle power of God captured in this beautiful story. As we read it in communion the story began to grow in unexpected ways revealing connections we had not seen before and opening up moments of sharing from deep within. We heard different stories of “leaving home”, “being away from home”, “turning around”, and “homecoming”. We had to realize that not everyone leaves home by their own choice. For some it was a matter of survival and dignity. We suddenly saw how the temptations of gang life often meet the desperate need for recognition, status, and comfort. And yet, as one of the students commented, “gangster love” and “father love” are very different. For “gangster love” forces you to obey any order: You rob or kill or you yourself are killed. We also had to accept how difficult it can be “to turn around” and choose a different life. The deep shame and guilt for the pain and harm inflicted on others makes it very hard to believe in a forgiving God. For some the willingness to repent and turn around also comes with a tremendous risk resonating with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s words on costly grace: “It is costly, because it calls to discipleship; it is grace, because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly, because it costs people their lives; it is grace, because it gives them their lives.” It was therefore humbling and frightening to hear that our invitation to them to follow Christ would put their lives in great danger. And when we talked on “homecoming” we had to the face the harsh reality of broken homes: None of the youngsters had ever felt the gentle and warm embrace of their father. As we meditated on Frank Wesley’s painting of the “Forgiving Father” (see cover page) it became clear what Ben Okri meant when he wrote: “Without stories we would go mad. Life would lose its moorings or lose its orientations. Even in silence we are living out stories.” It was our quiet prayer that our students would never ever forget their answer to our question of why Jesus told this story: “God wants to be our father.”