The Story of Jonathan Nobles by
Simon Roche OP --
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Father Simon Roche,
O.P. is the Promoter of Lay Dominicans in Cork, Ireland. He relates the story of a “cloistered
brother.” This is the story of one of
them, Jonathan Wayne Nobles. On the
feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, 7th of October 1998, Jonathan was executed by
lethal injection at Huntsville prison, Texas. Jon was a Lay Dominican trying to
follow Jesus in the spirit of St Dominic. In 1986, high on drugs Jonathan, then
25 years of age, stabbed two young women to death and seriously injured Ron
Ross; a horrific crime for which he was sentenced to death. He was convicted
almost entirely on the strength of his own confession. He never took the stand
during his trial. He sat impassively as the guilty verdict was read out and
only flinched slightly when the judge sentenced him to death. When he arrived
at the prison he quickly alienated himself from the guards and most of the
prisoners.
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Somehow, in what is among the most inhumane
environments in the civilised world Jonathan began to change. In Huntsville
prison, Jonathan underwent a conversion and entered the Church. A group of
eleven young men present at the time of his admission to the Church were
members of the St Martin de Porres Lay Dominican Chapter. Through them he
became interested in the Dominicans and was received into their Chapter in
1989. In 1991 he made his final commitment and was instrumental in introducing
other prisoners to the Lay Dominicans. He developed a deep devotion to the
Rosary and to St Catherine of Siena. For eight years Jonathan was a spiritual
leader on death row bringing the Good News to those who themselves faced the
same sentence.
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He
stood as godfather at the baptism of Cliff Boggess, a fellow inmate. He later
helped officiate at the Mass celebrated the night before Cliff Boggess was
executed. He encouraged his companions to experience God's word in the
Scriptures and invited others to attend the celebration of the Eucharist. He
loved the Eucharist and taught non-Catholics to present themselves to receive a
blessing at the time of Communion.
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He accompanied all who wished, asking them
if they would like him to pray with them, talking with them through his own
brokenness, his conversion, his coming to the faith. Isn't it amazing that
Jonathan could be missioned out of that brokenness. He was free, interiorly to
do this.
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For ten
years Steve Earle, the country musician, corresponded with Jon who asked him to
be a witness at his execution. Ten days before [He spoke of] his fire ‘for preaching
and work for the conversion of others. When asked what he would like for his
last meal he said he would like the Eucharist. Steve came to visit Jonathan.
Jonathan sought forgiveness and reconciliation with those he had injured and
whose lives he had taken. He suffered the pain of not being able to be
reconciled to all.
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Three months before his death he appeared
on Tv and donated his kidneys: 'I want to do something good before I die.' Five
days before his execution fr Chris Eggleton visited Jonathan. 'He came out in
shackles but was not the slightest bit upset about it. He seemed so at peace.'
They prayed and talked together for several hours. Jonathan told his story and
shared some of his poetry, spoke of his love of Mary, the Rosary and St
Dominic, his 'fire' for preaching and work for the conversion of others. He was
so grateful that he could preach like Dominic. 'Look at this I can accompany
others maybe help them to change their lives, letting them know about Christ.
It wasn't always successful but I felt that if someone was going to be executed
God could work through whatever relationship we had.'
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'Jonathan was a very positive guy. There
was no superficiality about this man.'' Jonathan placed his hands flat up
against the Plexiglas divide which separated us and I placed my hands up
against his ... He helped me to pray. Then alternating we prayed. I was so
grateful that he accepted me to visit.
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'Jonathan met Bishop Carmody when he
celebrated Mass for the inmates. He asked the bishop to be one of the witnesses
at his execution.' I said I would be there with him, and a promise made is a
debt unpaid... I made sure I would keep my promise.' He fasted on his last day.
When asked what he would like for his last meal he said he would like the
Eucharist. He called it 'spiritual food for the journey home.
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‘The
funeral Mass was held at St. Thomas an hour after Jonathan was pronounced dead.
He was laid out in the Dominican habit; Bishop Carmody celebrated the Mass with
others. Jonathan had chosen the readings and the hymns. A few days after his
death Chris Eggleton received a letter Jon wrote the night before he died:' I
pray that Our Lord bless you that his Spirit rest upon you; filling you with
true peace and joy. I am very sorry that I do not have the ability to share in
greater length with you here on earth or even in this letter. However be
assured that I shall pray for you in heaven with Dominic, Mary and all of our
Dominican Family. 'Jonathan had great devotion to Saint Catherine of Siena,
famously known for befriending a young man, who like himself, had been
condemned to death. His name was Nicolo di Toldo. Catherine describes what happened
:(continued on p.30)Spirituality... Men and women cry out for an experience of
hope in a world which has lost direction ..."Stay with me and do not leave
me and then I cannot but be well and will die content. "... We can be
largely unaware that he actually loves each of us personally. ..Women cry out
for an experience of hope in a world which has lost direction- in the teaching
of Duns Scotus, Franciscan Spirituality has within its hand that hope-filled
experience and the end of that longing. For if God willed the Incarnation from
all eternity, then it was always his intention to become part of sinful
creation - sin determines the manner of that becoming, but it does not
determine the fact that it was going to be. The Incarnational thought of Duns
Scotus needs a broader hearing, for it is pertinent to all Christians and the
world, not just the Catholic tradition. The Incarnation is of God, not man.
Scotus is indeed in the tradition of Francis and his Incarnational theology is
not complex- it is utterly simple: God is love and all that has been, is and
ever will be is because God is love and is among us in Jesus who is ever
present.*****(continued from p.9)
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'I went to visit him ...he was consoled and
made his confession ... He made me promise that for the love of God I would be
with him at the time of his execution. In the morning before the bell tolled I
went to him .. .I took him to Mass and he received the Eucharist ... there
remained a fear that he would not be brave at the last moment ... "Stay
with me and do not leave me and then I cannot but be well and will die
content." I will wait for you at the place of execution and I think his
heart lost all fear ... I waited at the place of execution in continual prayer
... seeing me he laughed and asked me to make the sign of the cross over him
... He knelt and stretched out his neck and I bent down over him ... he kept
repeating 'Jesus and Catherine' and as he said the words I received his head
into my hands ... '*****(continued from p.19)
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It is
possible to see Jesus as an utterly loving person who has done wonderful things
for us and for all people, and yet be largely unaware that he actually loves
each of us personally, and dearly wants to be loved by each of us. Our
experience of deep and faithful love inhuman relationships in the course of our
lives gives us a glimpse of what the love of Jesus is like. Meditating
prayerfully on the Eucharist we may recognise that love. St Albert experienced
it. He wrote about the Eucharist: 'It is as if Christ said: "I have loved
them so greatly, and they me, that I desire to be eaten by them: they have
desired to receive me within them, to be embodied in me as my members. In no
deeper way, or one more consonant to nature, can they be in me and I in
them." 'What Jesus began on Holy Thursday, he continues into our own day:
in every celebration of the Eucharist he shows the full extent of his love.
This story is a
true story published in "Spirituality" magazine of Ireland January
-February, 2012.
Country
musician, Steve Earle corresponded with Jonathan Nobles and was a witness to
his execution. His story is riveting. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2001/jan/22/features11.g2
The victim's mother meets with Jonathan. http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18559_162-31506.html
Why is this story important to me? It is because when my prison
chapter was trying to be admitted as a bona fide Lay Dominican Chapter,
we were having a hard time, until the President of LFSD, Laurie Biszko read
about Jonathan Wayne Nobles.
Mr. Jonathan Wayne Nobles, O.P., wasn't the only one who was
changed.
