“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

Then the righteous answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did you see me hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” – Matthew 25:35-46 (ESV).

Dearly Beloved Eyesers, this is what being a Christian, nay a follower of Jesus, with a relationship is all about.

And as a follow-up to Eyes’ column last week titled UWI gala to honour Food For The Poor, at the Ritz Carlton, 181 Wellington St. W. On April 2, “It’s truly tragic what happened to those men in Guyana, no one deserves to die that way. These prisons in developing are being filled to the max with people who are committing petty offences,” said president and CEO of Food For The Poor, Robin Mahfood.

One of these inmates in Guyana was Rajesh. Sick and suffering from tuberculosis, he was sentenced to four months in prison. He and three other men were released from the Georgetown prison and Food For The Poor paid their fines for Holy Week. In Rajesh’s case, the charity also provided treatment for his TB, which he was extremely grateful to receive.

To God be the glory, for 18 precious years, Food For The Poor has been paying the fines of nonviolent offenders, freeing them from their prisons twice a year – at Easter and Christmas.

“Go and sin no more?” But allyuh look story, eh, eh. That’s the work of Guyana’s President David Granger, nah suh?

Each of the four men were given a Holy Bible, a change of clothes, caps, personal care items, food and money as they were released from prison.

It’s not a religious mendicant shouting conservatives / Republican pontification laced with hate against gays and the abortionists. They hope by doing so they will get to Heaven. Shame. Stop the hate. God is love.

By the way, a certain Pentecostal brother (who spends his time playing worldly music) including with his friends from Guyana:  “All a wee on top. Ting a Ling a Ling.” Go figure. This son of sin of omission even went so far as to accuse me of being gay. Lord, a mercy. Happy? Yes!

Then again, as we know some believers drink milk in the infancy of their faith as the more mature eat meat! Word.

Methinks, de Bai, is free like a bird living in freedom and democracy but mentally he is in … prison. No? Anyway, ‘nuff said. And it’s time to major on the positive. Amen?

Stop da press: International charity secures freedom for prisoners in Caribbean.

According to Food For The Poor, it secured the release of 256 non-violent inmates in prisons in Jamaica, (land Eyes love), Guyana (praying for forward, ever), Haiti (trusting God to go on a missions there) and Honduras this Easter.

PTL! Good news indeed, as four men were released in Guyana, nine in Jamaica, 232 men and women in Haiti and 11 men in Honduras, the charity said.

Yes, they worked hard this year to secure the release of those inmates as prison overcrowding continues to be a major problem in the Caribbean and Latin America.

In Jamaica, non violent prisoners were released from Hunts Bay Police Station, Tower Street Correctional Centre in Kingston and St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town. Each was escorted from their cell to a room and then to the chapel where they were each greeted by Food For The Poor. They also received words of encouragement, a hot meal and personal care items.

In Haiti, six prisons in Cap-Haitien, Fort Liberte, Grand Rivere, Hinche, Port-au-Prince and Port-de-Paix ao allowed Food For The Poor to pay the fines for nonviolent offenders. The majority of these prisoners including a few women were locked up for stealing things like chickens to feed their families or items for their daily needs.

Each inmate released in Haiti received a hot meal, a 100 lb. bag of rice, personal care items and money for transportation home.

Indeed, this is the message: Proportionate punishment, a restorative approach to punishment where those harmed by crime are allowed to be part of the process. Constructive culture – do more than warehouse people convicted of crime.

This restores communities. Consider those harmed and engage communities in solutions, promoting safety by using proven crime reduction practices while protecting individual liberty.