The two criminals crucified with Jesus teach us that we never lose our value when we sin: God will not give up on you

Good Friday – April 18, 2025

I’ve been thinking about the two men crucified with Jesus: the unaccepted “Gospel of Nicodemus” gave them the names Dismas and Gestas.  True or false, someone else called them humble and arrogant.  It’s easy to think kindly of the humble one and badly about the arrogant.

But was the arrogant man really a bad person?  They say he was a robber, murderer, etc.  But who knows his history?  What happened to him when he was a boy or young man?  Perhaps he was rebel trying to overthrow the cruel treatment of the citizens.  Whatever happened, we cannot disregard the basic rules of society, which help ensure peace.

However, according to the Jewish elders, Jesus broke the rules and died for us.  When society needs change for the better, that change will only come when some are willing to sacrifice their lives for the whole community: just like Jesus.

Are you and I are part of the present society that does not help, sufficiently, the young people especially, who are neglected and abused in increasing numbers these days?  Will we later condemn them when they ‘misbehave’?  The Passion of Jesus Christ teaches that God loves and values everyone, and the humble criminal shows us how to open ourselves to receive that love.

Start off by holding up a 100/= note.  Then ask: “Who would like this 100/=?”
When the hands start going up, crumple up the 100/= note, and ask:  “Who still wants it?”
Again, when the hands go up, say:  “What if I do this?“,
and drop it on the ground and grind it into the floor with my shoe.
When I pick it up all crumpled and dirty, ask: “Now, who still wants it?”

When the hands go up say:  We have all learned a valuable lesson:
No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it:
because it did not lose its value.  It started off as 100/=, and it is still worth 100/=.

Many times in our lives, we get dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the things people do to us.  There are times when we feel worthless.

The suffering and death of Jesus tells us that God thinks we never lose our value.  Today, feel loved by God: the example of Jesus invites to become instruments of love for others.

By Gerard Conlan, OMI