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| Today You Will Be with Me in Paradise |
| (Luke 23:35-43) |
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| Our
gospel for the Feast of Christ the King tells us of two who were
crucified with Jesus. They are unnamed, although an ancient legend names
the penitent thief Dismas. They are co-sufferers with the Lord,
sharing the same hideous pain and death, but there are differences. They
are condemned justly. He is condemned unjustly. One of the thieves
curses God and dies, while the other turns with trust and gains eternal
life. |
| Pain
turns one inward. The thief begs to be taken down from the cross. He
wants to resume his old life. He tries to save his life by grasping
onto it, as tightly as he can, and he grasps his life so tightly, he
crushes it to death. The other thief experiences the same pain, but the
pain turns this man from self and toward the Lord. He asks for nothing
but to be remembered. He lets go of his life in trust, and in doing
so, he saves it. The same reality, but the cross means salvation for
one and a pitiful death for the other. |
| What
is the difference? One fears to the point of despair. The other trusts
to the point of faith. We all struggle to have trust and faith in the
midst of a tested life. That struggle is most difficult when we find
ourselves with Christ bearing the cross. Christ is our King not because
He saves you from the cross—this life, but because He reveals the
possibility of salvation within life. This King welcomes you into His
kingdom on earth as baptism. He knows that it is not by bread alone
that you live. And so He feeds you with His Body and Blood, for
otherwise, you shall not have life in you—at least not God's life. This
King unites himself so intimately with you that he can say, "I am the
head, you are the body... I am the vine, you are the branches."
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| No,
this King is not like the kings of earth. You are His servant, and He
treats you like a friend. You were dust, and he lifted you a little
below the angels. You were homeless, and He gave you His Church.
Orphans and He gave you His Father and mother. Hungry, and He gave you
His body. You were a sinner, and He died for you. |
| Do
you remember that scene of Jesus standing before Pilate? He tells
Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world, His power comes from
above. He is saying, "I do not have subjects. I have followers. I do
not compel, I attract. The only force I use is the compelling power of
love." |
| Those
who accept his sovereignty choose light over darkness. Those who agree
to follow Christ will know redemption, forgiveness of sins and peace...
peace the world cannot give. He reigns not from a throne, but from a
Cross. He who is worshipped today as Lord of Lords and King of Kings
does not lord it over others, but rather He loves and leads all who will
follow Him. |
| Ask
yourself a question. The story of what happened to the repentant thief
on Calvary raises an important question. Does one die the way one has
lived? And the answer seems to be, not necessarily. There have been
people who have lived through a life of hell, who have had a luminous
death. The good thief had lived a bad life, yet thanks to his encounter
with Jesus, he found love and peace, and hope at the end. His story
teaches us that there is no such thing as too late. Christ the King can
make even the darkest ending bright with hope. He can turn a desert
into a garden. So ask yourself another question. Is this the Feast of
Christ 'the' King, or is it the Feast of Christ, 'Your King'? |
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| Yours in Christ, |
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| Fr. Robert Warren, S.A. |
| Spiritual Director |
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