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I get calls often from men who are incarcerated and feel they were put there unjustly. Some of them are emotional, some are frustrated, and many of them are simply lost — caught in a system that is quick to warehouse bodies but slow to listen to souls.
But recently, I received a call that sat heavy on my spirit in a different way.
It was from a mother.
Her voice was trembling, layered with years of silence. She told me her son had been incarcerated without even having his trial for bond, and she hadn’t heard from him in years. Not a letter. Not a call. Not even a rumor of how he was doing.
As she spoke, I could hear the quiet crack in her breath… the crack that forms when a mother’s heart has been waiting too long for answers that never came.
And my heart broke with hers.
The Forgotten Ones Nobody Talks About
We talk about the incarcerated, but do we talk about the mothers who cry in the dark?
We talk about justice, but do we talk about the people who are held for months — even years — waiting on hearings that keep getting pushed back?
We talk about the system, but do we talk about the souls inside it?
These calls remind me daily that prison is not just a building.
It’s a reality.
It’s a cycle.
And it’s a world our young people do not fully understand until they’re already trapped in it.
Where Are the Priests? Where Are the Shepherds?
Scripture tells us clearly:
“I was in prison and you came to visit me.” — Matthew 25:36
But today, I look around and I see a gap.
A silence.
A missing presence in the places where our young men need spiritual fathers the most.
We need more priests, more pastors, more spiritual leaders going into prisons — not just to preach, but to teach:
Teach our young men about purpose.
Teach them about discipline and wisdom.
Teach them about the consequences of choices before the world does.
Teach them how to break cycles instead of repeating them.
Teach them that God’s mercy reaches even behind bars.
We don’t just need “ministry from the stage.”
We need ministry in the cell block.
Ministry in the visitation room.
Ministry that isn’t afraid to sit across from a man who made a mistake — or a man who didn’t, but is still paying for it.
Our Young People Need Truth Before Trouble Finds Them
So many of the men who call me say the same thing:
“Miss… I wish somebody told me.”
Told them what prison really is.
Told them how quickly freedom can be lost.
Told them how mistakes multiply in the wrong environment.
Told them that one impulsive decision can create a lifetime storm.
This is why we need spiritual leaders inside the prisons and speaking to the youth outside.
Not just “scared straight” programs — but prevention through wisdom, identity, discipline, and faith.
My Heart Breaks… But It Also Awakens
That mother’s voice reminded me that the justice system doesn’t just hold bodies — it holds families hostage too.
Her pain became a prayer.
Her fear became a call to action.
Her story became a reminder that ministry must go beyond the pulpit.
We need shepherds who are not afraid to walk into dark places.
We need leaders who understand that the gospel is not soft — it’s strong enough to reach the imprisoned, the forgotten, the misunderstood, the wrongly accused.
If We Don’t Teach Them, The World Will Trap Them
And that’s why conversations like these matter.
That’s why compassion matters.
That’s why voices like yours matter.
Because somebody has to stand in the gap.
Somebody has to speak truth where silence has lived too long.
Somebody has to remind our young men that their story is not over — even if they’re waiting for a trial, a bond, or a chance to breathe again.
May we be bold enough to pray.
Strong enough to advocate.
And compassionate enough to show up.
