Author: Msgr. Charles Pope

There is a bit of puzzlement at the following question: Why was Christ crucified between two thieves? It might make one wonder why one would ask this question at all. Perhaps one could also ask why the Passion was on a Friday, or, why Jesus died at 3:00 PM instead of 4:00 PM. These sorts of questions could go on forever.

Nevertheless, some of the best insights come from pondering seemingly insignificant questions. Seldom do the Gospel writers and the Holy Spirit provide a detail in the accounts that they do not want us to wonder about, or that is not in the text for a good reason.

So then why was Christ crucified between two thieves? Was it just an historical accident? One can hardly imagine that God permitted any detail of the most pivotal moment in salvation history to occur merely by accident.

St. Thomas Aquinas proposes a number of answers. The first is the one with which I am most familiar. Referencing St. Jerome, St. Thomas writes,

As Christ became accursed of the cross for us, so for our salvation He was crucified as a guilty one among the guilty (Comm. xxxiii in Matth) (Summa Theologica III, 46, 11).

In other words, Jesus bore our guilt and our shame, though He Himself was sinless (see 1 Peter 2:24 and Isaiah 53:4). He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth (Is 53:9). And thus Christ took up and endured the reproaches we deserved.

The second and more interesting answer from St. Thomas is this:

As Pope Leo observes (Serm. iv de Passione): “Two thieves were crucified, one on His right hand and one on His left, to set forth by the very appearance of the gibbet that separation of all men which shall be made in His hour of judgment.” And Augustine on John 7:36: “The very cross, if thou mark it well, was a judgment-seat: for the judge being set in the midst, the one who believed was delivered, the other who mocked Him was condemned. Already He has signified what He shall do to the quick and the dead; some He will set on His right, others on His left hand.” … because of the cleavage between believers and unbelievers, the multitude is divided into right and left, those on the right being saved by the justification of faith (Summa Theologica III, 46, 11).

Thus this moment points to the final judgment, when Christ, seated on His throne as Judge of the World and Lord of all, will have some to His right and others to His left; some will be the sheep and others the goats; some will be the wise virgins and others the foolish ones. Those on His right will hear, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt 25:34). Those on his left will hear, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41).

St. Thomas also addresses an expected objection that in Matthew’s version both thieves reviled him:

As Augustine says (De Consensu Evang. iii): We can understand Matthew “as putting the plural for the singular” when he said, “the thieves reproached Him.” Or it may be said, with Jerome, that “at first both blasphemed Him, but afterwards one Believed in Him on witnessing the wonders” (Ibid, ad 3).

It is a remarkable image of the crucifixion: Christ is seated on the throne of His cross. His arms are extended in mercy, offering mercy to the very end. But only the repentant thief accepted the offer. Thus he heard, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

This vision of Christ on the cross as depicting His role as judge presents Christ as a judge who poses a question to the thieves more so than as one who merely passes sentence on them. There is no recounting of the sins and crimes of the thieves, no lengthy weighing of the evidence. There is the offer of mercy and the awaiting of a response.

For these men, and one day for us, this is the final moment. The responses are given and are final. The one thief repents and receives paradise; mysteriously, the other curses and condemns himself to living apart from mercy in Hell. The rejection of God’s offer always remains deeply mysterious; it must, it would seem, proceed from a heart that is obtuse and hardened.

Jesus laments the fact that many, not few, end by rejecting Him and His offer: For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14). In this passage He gives a partial explanation for their rejection: it is because “the way is hard.”

The third answer by St. Thomas as to why Jesus was crucified between two thieves is this:

Bede says on Mark 15:27: “The thieves crucified with our Lord denote those who, believing in and confessing Christ, either endure the conflict of martyrdom or keep the institutes of stricter observance. But those who do the like for the sake of everlasting glory are denoted by the faith of the thief on the right; while others who do so for the sake of human applause copy the mind and behavior of the one on the left.”

Yes, to follow Christ on this earth involves suffering and rejection. It also involves a stricter observance, which postpones certain passing pleasures in order to inherit greater and lasting ones, which rejects apparent goods in order to receives true goods. There are some who are willing to endure this and others who are not.

The bad thief wanted to be taken down, not to go up. The good thief was willing to endure the cross to go up to paradise.

There are some powerful insights here.

Thank you, Lord, for being counted among the wicked, though innocent, in order to save us. Thank you for your offer of mercy. Help us to remember that the decision is ultimately ours and that we access your mercy through the repentance manifested by the good thief. Help us, Lord, to endure and be taken up, rather than to insist on being taken down.

In the Gospel today (Tuesday of the 10^th week) the Lord describes metaphorically what a Christian is and what He expects of us.

You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the World … But if salt goes flat it is good for nothing … No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket.

Note the metaphor of salt: You are either salt, or you are nothing—in fact, good for nothing. It’s very much an all-or-nothing scenario. Jesus says that if you’ve decided to be my disciple you’re either going to do that or be nothing. You may go on to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, laborer, or social worker. But the Lord has plenty of those (and so does the devil). Your first and only mission is to be a true and uncompromised Christian; everything else is commentary. You may be a great doctor, but if you don’t do it as a clear and visible Christian you’re nothing. You may be a skilled social worker, but if you don’t do it as a Christian, you’re good for nothing. Any non-believer can be socially useful as a doctor, actor, lawyer, or social worker. But only a Christian can be a Christian. If you don’t do “job one,” you’re nothing. If you buy your kids every good thing, send them off to college (paid in full), but don’t bring them to Christ by being a Christian witness to them, you’re good for nothing. Parents can give their kids material things, but only Christians can give them Christ. Got it? You’re either salt (a true Christian) or you’re nothing.

The text speaks of salt going “flat.” What this meant historically is rooted in the fact that salt at that time was typically less pure than it is today. Impurities often interacted with the salt, and over time it became bitter in taste. It was then good for nothing except to become pavement. But what does it mean to be salt?

Let’s consider some of the properties of salt:

Salt seasons. Christians are called to add spice to life; to bring beauty, joy, and hope to the world. Joy is the surest sign of a Christian. Even our keeping of the commandments is a source of joy as we experience God’s power to put sin to death in us and to bring forth order, self-discipline, and holiness. Hope, too, ought to distinguish us from a world that is often cynical and thinks that sin is inevitable. To this world we are not only to declare that keeping the commandments is possible and brings joy, but we are to demonstrate it in our very lives. We are to be zesty, passionate, alive, and free from sin in Christ. Yet, sadly, we Christians are known more for what we are against. Too many Christians are not spicy; they do not really add flavor; they are more like bored believers, depressed disciples, fearful faithful, and frozen chosen. In our best moments, though, look what spicy things the faith has contributed: art, music, churches, hospitals, universities, the scholastic and scientific methods, and holidays (a mispronunciation of Holy Days). Note how our tradition and our scriptural teachings of justice mercy, love, and the dignity of the human person have blessed the world. Do you bring spice to the lives of others? Do you bring hope and joy? Scripture says, Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). Well that means that people must notice a hope in you! Do they? How?

Salt preserves. Before refrigeration, people often used salt to cure or preserve meat. The salt killed the bacteria and other microorganisms that caused rot and decay. As Christians, we are called to prevent further decay in this sin-soaked world. The truth that we proclaim is meant to preserve people from the decay of sin and overindulgence. Chastity, justice, generosity, the proclamation of the truth, etc. are like salt that preserves the world from decay. We must be salt; if we are not then nothing else is. You are the salt.

Salt heals. In the ancient world, salt was used on wounds. It helped to stop bleeding; it killed bacteria and prevented further infection. So, too, the Christian faith. Through our doctrinal and moral teaching—and our living of it—we are called to bring healing to this world, which is wounded by sin, strife, war, jealousy, anger, bitterness, retribution, promiscuity, unfaithfulness, greed, and countless other errors. The Word of God and His plan are healing medicine for what ails this world.

Salt burns. Yes, salt stings when applied to wounds. We Christians aren’t just sugar and spice and everything nice. When salt is applied to wounds it burns and often causes loud protest. The truth stings, and the truth of the Gospel can be irritating to a world that is wounded by sin. But despite the protests of the world, the sting is a healing one. It is driving out the bacteria and disease of the world and preventing further infection. Just because people protest the Church and howl in complaint at the truth of the Gospel does not mean that we have done anything wrong. The protests often mean we are doing exactly what we must.

Note finally that the Lord says you are the salt of the earth. He did not say you are the salt of the Church. For salt to be effective it has to get out of the shaker! Too many Christians are bold in the pew but cowardly out in the world. They will speak of the faith in the relative security of the Church and among certain friends. But don’t ask them to preach to their spouse or co-worker, or even to their children. That’s too scary. And don’t even think about asking them to knock on doors, or go to the local mall and witness, or stand in front of an abortion clinic.

Salt in the shaker is useless. It has to come out of the shaker to make any difference. You don’t salt salt. Witnessing to fellow Christians may have a limited benefit, but it is not really the true destination of salt. The salt has to go forth. When the priest or deacon says that the Mass is ended and to go in peace, he might as well be holding up a salt shaker and shaking it.

In tomorrow’s post, we’ll consider the Lord’s image of light.

New financial realities and mechanisms raise questions for the traditional collection and offertory procedures at Mass. For as far back as most of us can remember, the “collection” has always taken place after the Creed and Intercessory prayers. A basket is passed and people drop in cash or a check, often inside an envelope. It is often brought up along with the bread and wine as an actual offering to the Lord and His Church.

But the problem is that cash, and even checks, are going away. Increasing numbers of people use electronic giving. Most younger people rarely carry cash and they seldom if ever write checks. I have to say that even I seldom carry cash, and these days I typically write fewer than five checks a month. I contribute to the parish through the “Faith Direct,” program which automatically withdraws my offering from my bank account each month.

A woman told me that she recently corrected her daughter for never putting anything in the collection basket. The daughter, a young woman in her late twenties, wondered what she was supposed to do since she didn’t carry cash or write checks. She paid all her bills online using her phone. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t put my phone in the basket!”

The question I raise here is more a liturgical than a financial one. More and more parishes are offering their parishioners other ways to contribute. We need to get better at it and to continue to offer more solutions, but the adjustment to new financial mechanisms is underway.

Liturgically, however, we are still “passing the basket” to a congregation that increasingly has no capacity to participate with this ritual. Some parishes provide cards that online givers can drop into the basket saying that they gave electronically, but most forget to bring the card to Mass. An essential point of electronic giving is to be freed from the hassle of carrying cash or checks, so needing to remember another piece of paper seems counter to that goal.

But then what to do with a practice that still makes sense liturgically? Passing the basket makes sense because we are called as a people of God to make sacrificial offerings to the Lord and to assist in the support of His Church. The offertory procession is about more than presenting bread and wine. It is also about offerings for the Church and the poor; it is about offering the gift of our very self. So the money we put (or used to put) into the basket is a symbol of something more than the monetary gift itself. The offering of actual valuables at the offertory is ancient and serves as a visible sign of our participation in the sacrifice of the Mass. In ancient barter economies, people brought tangible items such as foods and other valuables. Gradually money replaced such items and our long practice of collecting money began. And now paper money and checks are going away.

But again, there is still some value in placing offerings in a basket and bringing the basket forward at the offertory.

Perhaps we can adjust as follows:

Provide offering cards in the pews so that those who contribute electronically can quickly fill one out and place it in the basket. They could supply their name (or not) and simply indicate that they have given electronically. They could indicate the amount of the offering (or not). There should also be boxes to check that go beyond money (for the offertory should be about more than just money). People could check boxes indicating the sacrificial gifts of time and talent along with treasure. For example, one could indicate by checking boxes that he visited the sick that week, served as a lector, sang in the choir, offered tutoring, prayed for the needs of others, and so forth.

The card would need to be simple and quick to fill out. Catechesis would also be necessary to explain the purpose of taking part in the offertory in a visible and tangible manner, even if one gives electronically. Worship without sacrifice is ill-conceived. The “collection” is more than a practical gathering of money; it is a summons to link our own sacrifices of time, talent, and treasure with the Lord’s perfect sacrifice in the Eucharist.

I am interested in your thoughts on this matter, both practical and liturgical. The fact is, paper-based monetary transactions are going away. How do we adjust the offertory of the Mass in response to that?

Here is one of the more interesting things to end up in a parish collection.