The second to the seven last words of our Lord Jesus Christ was taken specifically from the Gospel of St. Luke Chapter 23 verse 43 when He said to one of the criminals “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
We remember that there were also two crucified criminals, one on the right and one on the left of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the criminals has blasphemed our Lord Jesus Christ by saying, “If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
While the other criminal has answered and rebuked the other criminal by saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? “And we indeed justly, for we receive due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”
And finally, this criminal said to our Lord Jesus Christ, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
We can clearly see from this scene the nature of man: his good and bad side. The other criminal has the propensity to blame and even to question, to doubt the power and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.
While on the other hand, the other criminal has this spirit of contrition and humility and understanding of their true places in the scheme of things. That they being criminals due to their committed deeds deserves to be condemned or crucified on the cross but in the case of our lord Jesus Christ it was totally different.
For according to the other criminal, our Lord Jesus Christ is innocent or “has done no wrong”. It is curious to note how did this criminal came to the knowledge that our Lord did not done any wrong? Does it really take to be a criminal to know another criminal?
The gospel is silent as to when our Lord Jesus Christ met these two criminals prior to their crucifixion. The gospel is even silent as to the names of the criminals and of what specific crimes were they convicted.
The other criminal know that his time to die is getting nearer. And he acknowledged the Lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ as “Lord”.
We know for a fact that most criminal does not respect any law of the society, for their thinking is that they are law unto themselves.
But this criminal at the end of his life, find some sort of personal enlightenment by asking our Lord to “remember me”.
But the answer of our Lord Jesus Christ goes beyond what the criminal is expecting, for instead of just being remembered by our Lord he was assured that he will be with the Lord Jesus Christ in Paradise.
The gospel did not use the word or phrase that the criminal will be with the Lord in “heaven” but in “Paradise”.
The word “Paradise” implies so many layers of spiritual meanings. For one, it is the first home of our original parents Adam and Eve. It is the place where Man was put by God in the first place while in the state of innocence.
Paradise was also the place where the temptation of our parents took place and the first place where the first sin of man was committed.
It’s the place where the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil are.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is our Paradise and our Tree of Life itself. Amen.
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It's so nice to read the passions of Jesus Christ for forty days or the quaresma as it is called here in the Philippines.
Today, it is so quiet here in our neighborhood. No music, the people are simply just at home.
In a while , I will be doing a bible reading too and be praying the rosary.
It's so nice to be able to do these things. It uplifts my feeling.