Today we remember the death of our Lord and meditate on the reasons for his death, and what it means to us. In the English speaking world, we call it Good Friday. And we know why it is a good Friday.On this Good Friday let us consider how our Lord was seen by most of those who saw him crucified. He was a death-row convict who was getting what they thought he deserved. There have been many before and after who have been put to death for reasons that would seem to justify such a punishment.But is such a punishment, called capital punishment for criminal acts deemed worthy of death, ever justified--morally or even for promoting an orderly society?
An editorial in the Korean Times has again made a plea to stop this killing done under the guise of righteousness. The editorial made clear that its position is not based on a religious belief but on a conviction that capital punishment hurts our society.The Constitutional Court in Korea thinks differently, and in a recent ruling clearly states the government's position:
"Capital punishment does not contradict the constitutional guarantee of the right to life or infringe the constitutional guarantee of human dignity....Capital punishment is a penalty with the public goal of realizing justice through just retribution against atrocious crimes and protecting society by preventing crimes," the court said. "As a kind of necessary evil, it is still functioning properly." The ruling was 5-for and 4-against, which was a change from the 7-for and 2-against in 1996. The Catholic Church in Korea is trying to change public opinion on this issue, and there has been change but not enough, as this recent ruling indicates. Korea has not executed anybody for over 10 years and was considered a country that has, in effect, abolished the death penalty--joining 26 other countries that have not used their legally sanctioned punishment for many years; 87 countries have made it illegal.
Though it is universally accepted that one may kill to protect ones life if directly threatened by another, there has been, many feel, an overall weakening of respect for life throughout societies everywhere. This is readily seen by the prevalence of abortion, and the lack of respect for a person's values and property--they are not unrelated to the cultural climates we live in.
Changing the cultural climate for all of us was part of the mission Jesus was here to perform. Our Lord's death, as the centerpiece of his mission, means a great deal to us Christians for it was a death that leads to eternal life for all. Jesus was a prisoner of conscience but put to death for reasons his society considered valid--as societies continue to do today to justify the taking of life. Let us pray and work that some day we will come to an understanding of how precious life is, even for those that seem not to deserve it.
