The Twelfth Station:
Jesus Dies On The Cross
“Jesus, Remember me, when You enter Your Kingdom.”
Scripture: 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.”
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the curtain of the temple was torn in the middle. Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, “It is finished. Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.’ Then, bowing His head, He died. (Lk. 23:39-46)
Imitation of Christ, Book 2, Ch 12:“Know for certain that you must lead a dying life, and the more you die to yourself, the more you begin to life for God.”
By Ariel Agemian
Know for certain that you must lead a dying life, and the more you die to yourself, the more you begin to life for God.
No one is fit to comprehend heavenly things who has not yet been resigned to suffer adversities for Christ. Nothing is more acceptable to God, nothing more wholesome for you in this world, than to suffer willingly for Christ.
And if you were to choose, you ought to wish to suffer adversities for Christ rather than to be delighted with earthly comforts, because you would then be more Christ-like and more conformed to all the saints.”
Pray: Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name….
Meditation: St. Dismas, the Good Thief, watched our Lord die. He knew Jesus would be waiting for him in Paradise.
Once the Romans made sure of Jesus’ death, it would be much later -even days, before Dismas and Gesmas would die. To hurry this along, the soldiers broke the legs of Dismas and Gesmas.
Both Dismas and Gesmas had cursed Jesus. Yet, through his pain and suffering, Dismas had a change of heart. Dismas took responsibility for his sins, stating that he deserves his punishment and that Jesus, an an innocent Man, does not. Dismas asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into His Kingdom. Our Lord replies: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Jesus takes Dismas at his word.
At three o’clock, Jesus dies. What did Dismas think about as he hung on the cross after his conversation with Jesus (Lk 23:40-43)?
He prayed. He took Jesus at His word. For the next two hours or more, Dismas meditates on Jesus’ words while looking upon the corpus of Christ. Ruminating on the carrying of his own cross on the Via to Calvary.. Perhaps he cursed God’s creation of Man, but in the end praised God for His Love of Man.
And what of Gesmas?
Because Dismas courageously sought forgiveness in the midst of a lost cause, did his own experience of salvation embolden himto use his last few hours to talk to Gesmas, shouting across the lifeless Body of the Redeemer? As Christians, we are called to witness even unto death. Did we get that idea from Dismas? Scripture doesn’t say. Frank Sheed* says that we are stewards of Grace, through love, prayer and suffering. As Dismas was now part of Christ, did he use his last hours to take part in redeeming Gesmas? We are all co-redeemers with Christ in that sense (Col 1:24**). I think he did!