Two criminals, one repents and the other does not…..Which one are you?

Today at Holy Mass we hear from St Luke’s gospel….Ask yourself why did Jesus come?….Jesus came to pay the price for the sins of mankind….He also came to forgive sins - My sins and yours……That was his purpose…The question is…Do you recognize that reality?…….What do I mean by that?…If Jesus came for those two reasons, we must infer that we are ALL apart of the “mess” that was created by mankind because of sin…Also, one must infer that we need a means by which we can be forgiven…..That again implies that sin exists and that we are ALL sinners…..This concept is fundamental to believing in Christ, his Church and the desire for eternal life….Do we believe this?…..St Luke tells us today in his gospel….”Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”…What does this mean?….It means that Jesus was the “seed”, which was planted 2000 years ago to spread the message of salvation throughout the entire earth….There will come a time and God the Father only knows that time, when the entire world was not only told about Jesus and his Church but was also given the chance to turn to Christ.....And ask to be forgiven through his Church...….Whether we accept that invitation is completely up to us…But when that time comes…And Jesus returns…And when he returns, trust me, he is not coming back as some homeless “Hippie”….."There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory”

“Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand”

Dutch Schultz was a Jewish mobster in the 1920s and 1930s. Schultz, whose real name was Arthur Flegenheimer convert to Christianity and received the last rites from a Catholic priest before he died and was buried in the Roman Catholic Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York…….Schultz was a “bad dude” and committed many crimes during his life but when the time came, when he knew he was going to die, he repented and asked for a Catholic priest…..Joseph Stalin was another “bad dude”, a man known for being a murderer. During his reign in Russia untold millions of people were put to death by his command. The numbers are so high that experts can only give broad estimates as to the actual total. According to the story told by his daughter, Stalin was plagued by terrifying hallucinations as he lay dying on his bed. Then suddenly he sat halfway up in bed, clenched his fist toward the heavens, fell back upon his pillow, and was dead. It was as if his last gesture in life was literally a clenched fist toward God….Whether or not this is true about Stalin’s death can be disputed, the point I am making here is this…Here we have two murderers, one turns to Christ and the other does not…The story of these two men is not unlike the story of the two men who were crucified along side of Jesus 2000 years ago…Two criminals, one repents and the other does not…..Which one are you?

“Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb”

St Luke tells us today….”Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”…….God is giving us all time to face reality…What is that reality?…That we are all sinners…That there is “one way off the island” and that “one way” is to take Jesus’s hand and say these words - “Bless me Father for I have sinned”…If we commit to making a Sacramental Confession with a Priest, trust me when I say, you will be glad you did!…..Peace will flood through your enter body……How did a Jewish murderer, Dutch Schultz come to this conclusion?…Because written on the hearts of all men is the Truth - We either accept it or we do not……Schultz took a leap of faith……..”Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”……..St Luke is telling us…The time does run out!…The “final buzzer” will sound off…Two criminals, one repents and the other does not…..Which one are you?