We all know the story of the Good Thief: Dismas who at the last minute accepted Jesus. But Jesus said: "Unless you are born again of the water and the Spirit, you will not enter the Kingdom of God." Well, then, why did not Jesus from the cross tell St. John to quick and get some water and baptize Dismas who had just accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior? No need to do that: Dismas was baptized already by desire; he was baptized by the Holy Spirit "hic et nunc" ("here and now"). Dismas was not only baptized by the Holy Spirit, he was the first saint to ever be canonized. Jesus said: "This day you will be with Me in paradise." A canonized saint is one that the Church declares to be certainly in heaven. Jesus did that whole process in a few words.
But what of the "bad thief"? We do not even know his name? Can you imagine: if a person is on "death row", he would want to have a priest to hear his comfession or a minister to pray over him and reconcile him to God. But the bad thief did not want either. But the "bad thief" was sent a minister without his asking. Jesus - by the Holy Spirit - sent Dismas to convert the bad thief. The good thief admonished the bad thief and declared that they both were suffering rightly for their crimes but this man, Jesus, "had done nothing wrong".
Dismas said to the bad thief: "Do you not fear God!" It is amazing; but Jesus sent a criminal to convert a criminal because the two knew each other. They had shared the same cell. They shared the same fears. Dismas was the perfect minister for the bad thief. Everyone on death row would love to have the presence of Jesus in Holy Communion or at least in the Word of God spoken to him. But the bad theif has Jesus, Himself, the Son of God at his side. Did not the bad thief also hear the centurian say: "Truly this was an innocent man. Truly this was the Son of God!" Remember, both Dismas and the bad thief survived Jesus. Jesus had died first. The legs of the two thieves were broken so that they could not pushed themselves up for a breath. Jesus was too weak to push Himself up. But the thieves, therefore, died after the death of Jesus. Both of them were able to hear the centurian's great testamony and declaration of faith in Jesus. Most criminals curse their executioners because the executioners are hurting them. But Jesus was silent except for His words: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they are doing."
As far a the Gospel writers tell us, the bad thief did not repent. Rather, he said: "If you are the Christ, get us down from here; save yourself and us." Now, let us look at those words more deeply. The devil when tempting Jesus said: "If you are the Christ, command these stones to become bread.." and "If you are the Christ, cast yourself down from here.." Again, the devil speaking in the words of the bad thief gives Jesus His last temptation: "If you are the Christ..." Then....another great temptation: "Show your power by coming down from the cross." This is what the crowd has just said: "If you are the Son of God, come down from that cross; and we will believe in You." Jesus could easily have come down from the cross and incinerated the entire crowd. But the Sacred Heart does not do that. Jesus even told James and John "No" to their request to send fire and brimstone against the town that would not accept Jesus. Jesus even joked about that request by calling James and John from then of "Sons of thunder!" No...the Sacred Heart of Jesus pierced by the lance was exposed. The rays of mercy - Blood and Water - came from His side. Sister Faustina, centuries later would actually see those rays of mercy. For God is never more God in our lives as when He is forgiving us. But God will not force us to love Him. We have free choice. We can freely reject Jesus. Jesus has not come for peace but for division: for us to choose good or evil, life or death, to choose Jesus or Satan.
But what happened to the bad thief who continued to be used by the devil even to the very end. Was not his conduct a sign of who he was following? We cannot put anyone in hell...not even Judas...for we do not know the state of a man's souls seconds before his death. Could not the bad thief - seconds before he died - have looked over at Jesus and said: "My Lord and my God!" We will never know on this earth; but one day we may just meet the "bad thief" in heaven...along with Judas. In all the 2000 year history of the Church, there is no process that condemns a person to hell and declares him or her to be in hell. No...the Church does not do that because of Jesus' words of mercy to the woman caught in adultrey: "Has any one condemned you?" "No sir," she said. Jesus replied: "Neither will I condemn you. Go and sin no more." Jesus is not the accuser. Satan - whose name means "The Accuser" is the one who accuses us. Jesus is busy redeeming and forgiving us. Jesus even tried to get Judas to repent by telling him: "Friend, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss." Jesus was giving Judas a chance to repent right then and there. With every temptation there is a "way out" because God never let us be tempted beyond our strength.
So, did St. Dismas and the bad thief ever share the "same cloud" in heaven? They shared the same cell, the same cross and the same Jesus at thier deaths. Let's see. We may be very surprised to see people in heaven we never thought could ever be there: the bad thief, Judas, Hitler......let us just see. Amen.
{Please note that there are some people in Hell. Our Lady of Fatima showed Hell to the three children who jumpted back in great fear. She said: "This is where poor sinners go because there was no one to pray for them." The children asked out Lady: "Why don't they repent?" Our Lady said: "They do not want to." So, these are souls that even at the last moment - "out of the body and present to the Lord" - they reject Jesus' offer of His merciful forgiveness. A saintly soul saw one of these final encounters where a man who led a blasphemous life all his life, and Jesus asked him: "Will you now accept me as your Lord and Savior?" Jesus was willing to forgive all to save him from Hell for all eternity. The man answered with blasphemies and profane language. Jesus sadly lowered His hand thus letting him go to Hell which the man freely choose instead of accepting the Holy Spirit's offer of Mercy and Forgiveness. This is an eternal sin: the sin against the Holy Spirit's final offer of total forgiveness. But God cannot force someone to accept Jesus's Love. Remember, Jesus already suffered and died for this man sins. But the man refuses the atonement that Jesus has already made for his sins. This refusal is in that supreme moment of "out of the body and present to the Lord" is irrevocable just as the bad angel's decison was irrevocable.}
Let us pray:
Lord, Jesus, please be with every man and woman on death row today and always. Let them see You hanging there beside them and see You dying for them. Let them all - and all people in the state of mortal sin - totally repent by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior by accepting the Holy Spirit's forgiveness and Mercy..and then take Your hand, Jesus, as You lead them into Paradise. In Your name. Amen."
Love, Pio
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