Did not God choose those who are poor to be heirs of the kingdom? (Jas 2, 5)<\/i><\/p>\n
The inscription announces Jesus the king of the Jews.\u00a0 But the rulers and the soldiers deny it.\u00a0 Joining them is one of the two criminals.\u00a0 Only the other gets it right.\u00a0 How about us?<\/p>\n
An inanimate object proclaims this time Jesus\u2019 kingship.\u00a0 Before, there was no need for the stones to cry out, for a crowd was proclaiming him Davidic king.\u00a0 But now people just watch, terrorized perhaps into silence.\u00a0 It is dangerous to say something that goes against the opinions of the powerful rulers who are quite capable of obtaining the death penalty for someone innocent.<\/p>\n
But having nothing to lose any longer, the other criminal musters courage and opens his mouth.\u00a0 He recognizes as king someone who seems the least likely to be so.\u00a0 Overcoming despair, he puts his trust in him.<\/p>\n
He does not cooperate with those who wish him nothing but perdition and gloat over their role in unmasking and crucifying a supposed impostor.\u00a0 He is not one of the condemned who ends up behaving like their condemners.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the believer takes the trilingual inscription as a universal invitation to God\u2019s kingdom, while the mockers see everywhere valid accusations or seditious self-claims.\u00a0 They take advantage of these to get rid of those they deem are rivals in the race to the highest positions and the best promotions, or to justify their culture wars.<\/p>\n
The repentant thief likewise makes known that no one, though justly condemned, should give himself up for lost.\u00a0 And such hope is well-founded:\u00a0 God enables even those in the power of darkness to enter the kingdom of his Son; he wants to reconcile us to himself through the Word made our bone and our flesh.<\/p>\n
Indeed, we have redemption through the one who came to give his life for all.\u00a0 We surely believe this and proclaim it when we celebrate the Eucharist.\u00a0 But those who are so sure of themselves, their righteousness and authority, let us take note, are the ones who deny what is accurately affirmed about Jesus by the criminal who recognizes his sin and his powerlessness.\u00a0 It is a good idea to ask if we grasp the inscription.<\/p>\n
Do we adopt the attitude of the long-suffering and helpless poor, among whom the true religion is preserved?\u00a0 Do we not imitate the rich who haul us off to inquisitions, suffer no pain and serve as leaders for shameful profit?\u00a0 Does not our life memorialize more the tyrant who ordered the massacre of innocent children than Mary, full of grace, and her seer, St. Catherine Labour\u00e9?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"