Saint Dismas: Hope for Sinners
As you may know, there are three cycles of readings in the Liturgy of the Catholic Church. They are simply known as Years A, B, and C. We celebrated the Old and New Testament lessons from Year C this liturgical year.
On the Feast of Christ the King this weekend, the Gospel reading is my favorite of all 3 Christ the King readings. It is a story that captures the absolute power of Christ’s Kingship. Even though it also captures Him at His most vulnerable, lowest, and weakest point.
The Gospel speaks of the soldiers and some people mocking Jesus “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” “If you are the King of the Jews, come down from that cross.” Into the melee comes the voice of one of the criminals who was crucified with Jesus, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.”
I imagine that moment. It must have been the lowest point in Jesus’ life. All through His teaching, He was challenged and threatened. And yet the tone of His message never changed. Jesus spoke of a loving and forgiving God no matter what He endured. At the point of death, Jesus is further mocked as a failure. In the depth of his humanity, he must have known some level of despair.
Into the devastation of His crucifixion comes a whisper of hope. The words of the Good Thief, “Have you no fear of God?” He rebukes the other thief, “We are only getting what we deserve, but this is an innocent man.” “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Perhaps the words of the Good Thief were words planted in His heart by God. In Jesus’ desperation, the last voice he hears is a voice that affirms His life, His love, and His mission. How wonderful is that! He died hearing the voice of one who believed in Him. And in turn, He gives back to that thief the most precious gift He can give, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” The Good Thief is canonized by Jesus from the cross.
The Good Thief is known as Saint Dismas. Although he is not named in the scriptures, tradition has named him Dismas.
Dismas’ faith in Jesus was extraordinary. While the Apostles and other disciples witnessed Jesus’ miracles and saw Him at His greatest, Dismas saw no miracles. But he instead saw Jesus at His weakest and most humanly shameful, yet still recognized His divinity.
So many who proclaimed faith and were the recipients of the goodness and graciousness of Jesus were turning away. Those who ate and drank with Him were running in fear. Those who were learned and self-important had achieved their purpose, and Jesus was dying a torturous death. The voice of one despised proclaims faith. Dismas’ faith is not based on miracles, teachings, or promises of forgiveness. Dismas’ faith is in a man he saw carrying a cross and being crucified. His faith is in one who, after all that, still said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they do.”
As sinners, one and all, we should take heart in Saint Dismas, the first Saint. He owned his weakness and his sin. He did not try to minimize his responsibility for the actions that brought him to his crucifixion. But instead, he saw and recognized the Love of God born in a man. He recognized Christ. And with humility and courage, he reached out to Jesus with absolute faith.
There have been times when I have heard people say they hope they make it to heaven because they made terrible and sinful choices through a large part of their lives. For them, Saint Dismas is a beacon of hope and promise that the only words they need are his words, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God is not about the perfect. It is about the flawed. The Kingdom of God is not about power and might. It is about humility and truth. The Kingdom of God is not about someone else. It is about you and me. It is about us no matter where our life journey has taken us, despite our pitfalls and poor decisions. The Kingdom of God is about real people, sinners, one and all. It is about us, and Christ is our King.
In God’s Unending Love,
Gwen
