St. Paul and the Death Penalty

This year we have been celebrating the Year of St. Paul. While a great many people have focused on the teachings of St. Paul on a great many topics, there has been little said about Paul's conversion and what it meant for the early Church.

We first encounter Paul in Acts 7: 58 when the people who stoned Stephen to death laid their cloaks at the foot of Saul, who was apparently responsible for the death. Acts then records that "Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women he handed them over for imprisonment" (Acts 8: 3). Without a doubt there is widespread notoriety within the Christian community about the identity of Saul. The early Christians would have feared him and avoided his presence as much as possible. In fact, Ananias probaby represents the attitude of the early church upon hearing of Saul's conversion. God asks Ananias to accept Saul, but he replies, "Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name" (Acts 9: 13-14).

How many of us would be willing to accept such a person into the Church?

When we look at the issue of the death penalty, I believe this aspect of Paul's life must be taken into consideration. In the book of Ezekiel we read, "As I live, says the Lord, I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but rather in the sinful man's conversion" (Ezek. 33: 11). What profound joy did God experience, then, in the conversion of Paul! It must be remembered that the Jewish authorities had no power to put anyone to death, as the Romans had that power. Consequently, the death of Stephen and others were acts of vigilantees who took the law into their own hands. These vigilantees were, in effect, murderers. Yet, God converts the most famous among them and asks us to accept him. Today, he is one of our most revered saints.

What, then, can we learn from this lesson regarding our present day practice of capital punishment?

While the Church acknowledges that the state has the right to execute a person if that is the only means available to protect society, there is also the obligation of the care of souls that the Church has received from the Lord. While a serious offender must be punished and kept apart from others in order to protect society, that offender does not lose his or her complete right to the common good. What is more, they have an eternal destiny that must be taken into consideration.

Perhaps in this year of St. Paul God is asking us to consider anew our commitment to the care of every soul. Do we really have this care for every person's destiny, or only for some? Should we not allow the offender to live and provide him or her every opportunity to repent, convert, and find salvation?

May St. Paul intercede for us, that we may have the grace to imitate the early Church in their acceptance of Paul.