Sixth Day of Christmas: Frances Joseph Guadet; Prison Reformer and Educator

Scripture Readings

From the Morning Prayer Lectionary

1 Kings 17: 17-25 (NRSV)

After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. She then said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!" But he said to her, "Give me your son." He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. He cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?" Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child"s life come into him again." The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said, "See, your son is alive." So the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth." 

From the Lectionary for the Holy Eucharist

Lamentations 3: 26-36 (NRSV)

It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of the LORD.

It is good for one to bear

the yoke in youth,

to sit alone in silence

when the Lord has imposed it,

to put one's mouth to the dust

(there may yet be hope),

to give one's cheek to the smiter,

and be filled with insults.

For the Lord will not

reject forever.

Although he causes grief, he will have compassion

according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

for he does not willingly afflict

or grieve anyone.

When all the prisoners of the land

are crushed under foot,

when human rights are perverted

in the presence of the Most High,

when one's case is subverted

—does the Lord not see it?

John 13: 31-35 (NRSV)

At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Blog Reflection

As I read the short biography of the life of Frances Joseph Gaudet I was so amazed by the information about this incredible woman.  I was grateful to read an exceptional short meditation on Frances Joseph Guadet in Forward Day by Day.

Psalm 23. I shall fear no evil; …your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

I only recently heard the name of Frances Joseph Gaudet (1861-1934), a new addition to the church calendar who is commemorated on this date. But now that I know about her, I want to become her fan on Facebook. There is no page for her, but perhaps I’ll start one, and hope that admiration for her will go viral. For now, I simply give thanks for her life and work.

African and Native American, daughter of a former slave, born in a log cabin, Gaudet successfully advocated for prison reform; she made juvenile offenders a focus of her efforts. Prisons in her day were designed mainly to punish, as many of them are today. Yet Gaudet, internalizing the message of today’s psalm, had the vision and the courage to oppose those prison practices and to put forward a philosophy of mercy and rehabilitation. Her message must have been met with enormous resistance, but she persevered.

God, please grant me even a small measure of her courage and commitment.

Stories like this one amaze me.  

Frances Joseph Gaudet was born a prisoner. She was not incarcerated for any crime she committed.  But, she was incarcerated socially and politically.  Guadet was a woman of African American and Native American decent.  She was born in Holmesville, Mississippi and eventually went to live with her brother in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Her two races along with her being a woman would have meant she was one second class citizen split three ways.  Yet, she did not allow the prejudices towards her to stand in the way of her work with prisoners both African American and Caucasian.  

Gaudet spent her life being part of educating prisoners.  She purchased a farm and built the Gaudet Normal and Industrial School.   Over time it was expanded over 105 acres.   Her school was known as a boarding school for children with working mothers.  Gaudet was the principal until 1921, when she donated the institution to the Episcopal Church of Louisiana.  It closed in 1950.  Four years later it's doors were reopened as the Gaudet Episcopal Home to serve African American children aged four to 16.   

Frances Joseph Gaudet died on December 30, 1934.  

All of the above information can be found in Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints on page 146.

Gaudet's work is an example of Matthew 25: 35-36 which is the alternative Gospel reading for her commemoration.  

Her social stigma in the deep south did not keep her from visiting Jesus in the incarcerated people of her day.  She dedicated her work to showing how an African American/Native American woman can be the hands, feet, heart and eyes of Jesus Christ.  

This commemoration needs to be allowed to penetrate our hearts and literally disturb us.  We need to be uncomfortable as we remember this courageous and holy women.  Uncomfortable with our own attitudes towards those who are different than ourselves.  Uncomfortable with those stereotypes that have filled our minds and formed our attitudes about others whom we consciously or unconsciously declare as useless or even dangerous.

How many of us say to others and to ourselves that we are not racist or sexist?  

How many of us have said something like that and then complained verbally and/or non-verbally about the Somali woman with the Shukr is taking too long to ring up the person ahead of us at the grocery store?

How many of us have said we are not sexist, but still laugh at degrading jokes about women?

The beauty of Guadet is that she did great things while people in the deep south were still using the "n" word or the word "red skin" to determine her worth and ability.  She knew and even accepted that she lived in places and times that there was much oppression and prejudice.   Yet, she did not let all of that keep her from doing what she could to for those more underprivileged than herself.

As women and men who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and/or considered or call ourselves queer (LGBTQ) we know that we live in very turbulent times.  Equality and freedom from religious, social and political oppression has not been completely realized; though we have made great strides.  We can all take the example of Frances Joseph Gaudet to accept where we are and push on to be the best LGBTQ people we can be.  In the midst of injustice and prejudice we can still serve the common good of those less fortunate than ourselves through the families we live in, the places where we work, the communities where we volunteer our time and share our resources.

It is also important that in the face of the violent rhetoric and disappointments pushed by Christianists and other Arch-conservative religious groups, that we maintain a level of respect for ourselves and others who are different from us so that the oppressed do not become the oppressors.  We must educate ourselves about others around us and seek friendships with other marginalized persons in the Church and society so that all of us are working together for the justice and equality that will mean all God's people are included.

The Christ-Child at Bethlehem is born to show us how to heal those broken relationships that are wounded by our short sightedness of different people around us.  The short sightedness we often have in our hearts and minds comes from the poor examples of the generations that went before us.  They are learned behaviors and attitudes.  As Yoda told Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back: "You must unlearn what you have learned." That my faithful readers takes a life time of growing and making lots of mistakes.  We all have to begin at some point.

During this past year we saw a terrible injustice with the execution of Troy Davis and many others because of the death penalty.  I am sure that Gaudet saw many injustices towards the prisoners she served. 

May 2012 be the year that we learn to see Jesus; the Word made Flesh in even the incarcerated.  May it also be the year that those in the prisons of attitudes and behaviors based on bias that leads to imprisoning others who are marginalized and oppressed may finally be set free.

+In the Name of our God who is Creator, Incarnate Word, and Life-Giver.  Amen.+


Prayers

Merciful God, who raised up your servant Frances Joseph Gaudet to work for prison reform and the education of her people: Grant that we, encouraged by the example of her life, may work for those who are denied the fullness of life by reasons of incarceration and lack of access to education; through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 147).


Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of
your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our
hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 213).

Lord Jesus, for our sake you were condemned as a criminal:
Visit our jails and prisons with your pity and judgment.
Remember all prisoners, and bring the guilty to repentance
and amendment of life according to your will, and give them
hope for their future. When any are held unjustly, bring them
release; forgive us, and teach us to improve our justice.
Remember those who work in these institutions; keep them
humane and compassionate; and save them from becoming
brutal or callous. And since what we do for those in prison,
O Lord, we do for you, constrain us to improve their lot. All
this we ask for your mercy's sake. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 826).