Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, penned a meditation on the Gospel reading for the Nov. 23 Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, reflecting on the conversion of the good thief who died on a cross beside Christ.
The Solemnity’s gospel reading is Luke 23:35-43, which describes how the soldiers jeered at Christ as He died on the cross, upon which there was an inscription that read: “This is the King of the Jews.”
Cardinal Pizzaballa noted how “there is a recurring refrain” from the soldiers, the rulers, and one of the two criminals: they all “ask Jesus to save Himself, to come down from the Cross, to show His power.”
He reflected on how Luke’s Gospel begins with the proclamation of God’s salvation, first in Mary’s Magnificat and then many times after. This announcement of salvation changes the lives of many — and yet, as Christ died on the cross, the question of how He will fulfill this promise of salvation arises, the cardinal wrote.
“Everything implies that the salvation this man wanted to offer humanity ends there, on that cross,” he continued. “Yet, the odd attitude of the other criminal tells us that this is not the case.”
The good thief, who sees Christ crucified, as everyone else does, perceives something deeper, according to the cardinal.
“He knows nothing about Him, but witnessing the meekness with which Jesus is dying was enough for him to understand that He is an innocent man, a victim of an unjust power,” he wrote. “So, he asks this man who is not saving Himself to save him: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’ (Lk 23:42).”
This thief asks for salvation not from someone who appears powerful but Who is “poor” and a “silent and defenseless man” crucified beside him, the cardinal explained.
“This, in fact, is the very heart of our faith,” Cardinal Pizzaballa wrote. “God does not save us by imposing His power, but by limiting it, so that He may fully embrace our weakness and be completely in solidarity with our suffering. Weakness becomes a place of encounter, the ideal place where everyone can be reached and saved, where they can begin again and be reborn with a completely renewed perspective.”
The good thief also does not try to minimize his faults and crimes, and instead acknowledges that his condemnation is just, Cardinal Pizzaballa continued.
“Well, only from such self-awareness can a sincere request for salvation arise; this is the door that opens to prayer,” he wrote. Additionally, this thief does not ask to be brought down from the cross or attempt to “use Jesus to obtain a reduction on his punishment, however good it may be.”
“He asks for something far greater: he knows that the true strength of this man lies in his ability to welcome and forgive, and he aims directly at that essential thing,” he wrote. “And Jesus saves him, that is, He makes eternal that communion of trust and love born in an extreme shared weakness where Jesus chose to remain there in order to be close to us, even in pain.”
The Church celebrates the feast of Saint Dismas, the good thief, March 25.
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