The adventure of mishaps continues with me and the prison visits.

Ill Prepared

I thought for sure that finally I got it right. Well, I did as far as my clothing regulations, but something went really wrong and I  knew I would pay for the mistake. The evening before the visit I had a conversation with Mario and mentioned that I did not have an appointment to visit him on Friday. Explaining that in the past several of my visits were without an appointment,  Mario and I both came to the same conclusion that it would be fine like all the other times.

Preparing

I went to Ralphs to exchange two twenty dollar bills for forty one-dollar bills for the visit. From the jar of coins that we keep at home, I counted an additional $18 in quarters. I was set.

On Fridays all visits  start at 11:00 a.m.,  but since I did not have an appointment I decided not to take any chances;  arriving at 10 a.m. felt safe. As I pulled into the facility, not a soul was there. Then I noticed two uniformed officers exiting their car with a box of donuts. I rolled down my window and asked, “Are there visits today?” One officer looked at me perplexed and said, “Yes.” Parking my car near the awning of the check-in area gave me a great advantage because the officer in tower #4 could not see that I was taking pictures from my vehicle.

The Rosary

At 10:30 I started to pray a rosary with intentions. To explain “praying with intentions” simply means that before every decade I say a special prayer. In this case it was so that Mario and I would have a fulfilled, blessed visit and that I would be able to minister to him.

The Shakedown

At around 11:00 a.m . other visitors had arrived. I was still in the car so a few people started to line up ahead of me. I let a young lady go before me because she had an infant in her arms. She also had an interesting tatoo around her earlobe.  As much as I tried to make out what in the world was written there, I could not read it or understand  why anyone would get tatted on an earlobe!

For the over 30 or more visitors with an 11:00 a.m. appointment the officers arrived at 12 noon to start checking us in. We are always at their mercy; they couldn’t care less if people drove for hours to see their loved ones. We all grumbled under our breaths at the disrespect the guards  displayed. Remember, I arrived at 10:00 a.m., so that was two hours for me.

Finally it  was my turn to get checked in. I explained that I was a walk-on visitor and waited for the clearance to allow me passage. In the past it was an additional 15 minutes of waiting, but not today. The officer looked at me and said, “All walk-on visits start at two.” I quickly reminded him that in the past it was not a problem. Then he said,”These are the regulations, and today I’m enforcing them.”

There were no grounds for an argument; besides I was going to lose. I was not about to make these other people wait longer, so I quietly stepped out of line. Heading back  into my car, I texted  Mario and told him that I would be back at two. Mario felt awful and suggested that I go home.

The Mass Reading

I knew that I had to keep the visit because after praying before attending Mass that morning, I needed confirmation from the Lord  as to whether I  should go to see Mario without an appointment. At Mass on October 25th, in two of the readings (Eph.  4:1 and Luke 12:58) the word prison was mentioned twice! As challenging as the day was, it was clear that the visit must take place.

Cowboy Lunch

Norco is a country town with cowboys and many horse trails. I drove around and found Norco’s Best Burgers. As I ate my lunch, I thought about how angry I was at the two guards. I concluded that I would write a letter to our governor. Then I remembered who our governor is and quickly dismissed that thought. I was upset but did not want to take this emotion with me to the visit. Maybe the guards were delayed because they had a meeting about making sure that the regulations were being adhered to. My mind was crazy with thoughts.

The Epiphany

As I took a  drink of my iced tea, a clear thought came to mind: Find a Catholic Church.  St. Mel’s Catholic Church was about six miles away from Norco’s Best Burgers. I had never heard of this saint, so of course I googled him. He was a 5th century saint and nephew of St. Patrick.

When I arrived at St. Mel’s I saw a woman exiting the church and asked, “Is the church open?” She quickly answered, “Yes!” “And by chance is there Adoration?” “Every Friday we have Adoration,” she replied. My heart was filled with excitement as I rushed into the Adoration chapel.

Spending this special time with the Lord at Adoration cleared my head of all anger. A great conviction came over me for blaming the officers when in reality I needed to own up to my irresponsibility for not making an appointment.

The Visit

I left the Adoration chapel at 1:30 and headed back to the prison. The same guard looked at me and said, “I think I can let you in 15 minutes earlier.” I shrugged my shoulders and sat down. The anger had lifted, but I was not about to give them credence for any favors the guard thought he was giving me. Besides it was 2:15 by the time I made contact with Mario.

Mario

I had already purchased a hoagie sandwich with chips and a drink by the time we sat at table 51.  As usual, one of the inmates in an orange vest assisted me in carrying the food while another got the Catholic Bible we use. Mario was happy to see me.

Mario mentioned that three times earlier in the week he had read Haggai. Haggai is a minor prophet with a major message to the Israelites. The Book of Haggai is about rebuilding the Temple of God. In many ways this book was speaking to Mario about rebuilding his temple, to finally gather all the right material to sustain any spiritual storms, to break free from all that would hold him back and finally attain what God has set aside for him.

The Medical Emergency 

While we were deep in conversation about Haggai, an ambulance arrived. With all the commotion I wanted to investigate the matter. I had just mentioned to Mario that I had to use the facilities.

Mario warned me, “You can’t go now, they won’t let you in the building!” Our visit was outdoors. “Well, you know what, when I have to go, I have to go!” I, too, was experiencing an emergency. I asked a guard for permission to use the restroom, and  he reluctantly agreed. But as I was approaching the steps, a female officer yelled out, “Ma’am, we are having a medical emergency, you need to sit down!” I pointed to the guard who gave me permission and said, “I need to use the restroom and he said it was fine!”

Much to my delight, I was able to witness the emergency. Apparently one of the inmates fell ill. As he was transported onto the gurney, his mother shed a few tears.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, please help me to organize my life. Lord, continue to work in Mario’s life to prepare him for a normal life outside of prison. Lord, may we never forget all those who are incarcerated.  I pray for all prisoners that they would seek Your guidance. Amen.