Words from the Cross – 2

“Assuredly, [say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43.

The crucified Christ did not concentrate on Himself arid His sufferings. He did not pay attention to the pain of the wounds that had been inflicted on Him or the insults addressed to Him. His last moments on this earth, the last seconds of His life were too precious to dedicate them to think of Himself, so He spent them still working, in the same way he used to do it, through His example, in order to gain souls for the kingdom of heaven. He could not do otherwise. He was God with us. ”

The dignity with which He accepted the cross, the gentleness of His appearance, the compassion that could be read in His eyes, the sobriety of His conduct, the steadiness of His character made Him stick out among men, He, the Son of man. That is how one of the criminals hanging next to Him, saw in Him the Son of God, saw God Himself hidden in the miserable appearance which He was turned into by the same men He had come to save, saw God Himself dying for humanity that rejected Him until the last moment. The thief on the cross, as he; compared himself with Jesus, saw, for the first time in his 1ife, that he deserved the cross because’ he was a malefactor, but there, was someone who II had done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41) “under the same condemnation” ( 23:40) as the criminals. That moment Jesus had turned into the worst of malefactors, into the most abominable being on this earth because He was carrying upon Himself the guilt of each man who ever walked upon this planet. He was carrying yours and my shame, and in spite of His pain, He did it with joy because he could already get a glimpse of “the fruit of the travail of His soul”(Is. 53:11): your salvation and mine.

At that moment, He projected Himself out of time and space and saw Himself, not among two criminals, but surrounded by a multitude of saints, dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads and leaves of palm in their hands, standing before the throne of God the Father. He saw Himself traveling from planet to planet escorted by a ‘1;foup of those who had been selected to tell the glory of the Father’s love that had worked the miracle of converting malefactors into saints. ”

The thief on the cross had the experience of justification by faith and was reconciled with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:1) Have you also had this experience? Have you seen yourself condemned to death and Jesus tiling your place on the cross? This man expired in peace, with hope and joy in His heart.

There was another criminal who had a deep experience with Christ, although we do not know whether he treasured that experience or not. Barrabas, that rebel, that terrible criminal who had justly been condemned to the cross was in jail waiting for the moment in which he would be conducted to Calvary to be crucified. Suddenly he heard a great uproar and the voice of men screaming “Crucify him, crucify him.” (Luke 23: 18) What was going on? He could not understand. Why was his name on the mouth of the crowd? Who was the man who had been chosen to take the cross in his place and why? Was it possible? Could an innocent die for a wicked one? Would the authorities agree to such an illogical and unrighteous petition? He had spent many nights without being able to close an eye, thinking that the punishment for his deeds was drawing closer. He was afraid, he wished that day might never come. He could set; that although he had been the leader of a rebellion against the authorities, revealing courage and braveness, intact he was a coward, a fearful man who panicked before the idea of punishment. He wished he could die of a natural death and avid the pain of the nails piercing his flesh, but he knew no miracle would happen, he had to pay the consequences of his deeds. He had not really repented for what he had done, but he feared the consequences of his actions.

And now, as he was thinking about all this, he heard footsteps coming nearer, someone stopped before his door. The door was opened and the guardians took him to “Pilate. There he saw the Man, the one who would carry his cross, his sins, with the air of a king in spite of his shabby appearance. They put him next to Jesus, and he felt his purity, saw his clear eyes full of compassion, and felt enfolded by His love. He felt like a wave of tenderness enwrapping him, stirring his whole being, touching each one of his cells. His guts tightened up as he saw so much Unselfishness and love and he saw how the Son of Man, who could not be other than the son of God, was taken like a sheep to the slaughterhouse. (Is. 53:7)

We do .not know whether Barrabas accepted the grace heaven was offering him, if he accepted in his heart Jesus’ vicar death and led a righteous life after this encounter with his Redeemer, or if, when the scene of that solemn moment came to his mind as the Holy Spirit worked on his soul, he rejected it, thus hardening his heart, Whichever the result may be, that man, literally, experienced what it means to deserve the cross and for someone to take his place upon it; the plan of salvation was revealed to him in all its magnitude, .c

Has it been revealed to us? Have we seen Jesus, the saint, taking your place on the cross? Have we seen ourselves as malefactors who are set free from condemnation and to whom the opportunity is given, by the infinite grace of God, to lead a pure and sanctified life? .If it is so, we have accepted His grace and the promise Jesus made to the thief on His right is valid for us too: ‘Assuredely, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. ” It was not on that precise day that the thief ascended to heaven, but that day his name was registered in the books above as a citizen of heaven, and in God’s eyes, even if he would lie in the tomb for centuries waiting for the glorious day of the second coming of His Son to resurrect the dead, he was alive.

May the Lord help us to accept His grace, and when we contemplate the cross where we should be crucified, our hearts may be filled with gratitude.
Amen.

Theresa Corti, Greece