The two thieves crucified beside Jesus had something in common. Both were guilty. Both were suffering. And both looked upon the face of Christ.
Yet only one turned their suffering into a path towards Christ.
As the Church prepares to celebrate the beatification of Venerable Fulton Sheen this September, it's worth revisiting one of his most profound insights. He saw in the two thieves not merely two historical figures, but two possible responses to every cross we carry.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen reflected that the difference between the two men was not the amount of pain they endured. It was what they allowed their suffering to do to their hearts.
The thief on the left became bitter. He demanded that Jesus rescue him from the cross, but never recognized who hung beside him. His suffering became an occasion for anger.
The thief on the right saw something different.
As Fulton Sheen writes, "If pain had no reason, Jesus would not have embraced it. If the Cross had no purpose, Jesus would not have climbed it." (The Cries of Jesus from the Cross).
The Good Thief understood that suffering united to Christ could become redemptive. Instead of asking to be taken down from the cross, he entrusted himself to the One hanging beside him.
Jesus' response is one of the most consoling promises in all of Scripture:
"Today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
Sheen concludes with a powerful observation: "every sickbed, every hardship, and every cross we carry is, in a sense, on one side of Calvary or the other". We can allow suffering to make us bitter, or we can unite it to Christ and allow Him to transform it.
None of us seeks suffering. But when it inevitably comes, the Good Thief reminds us that we are never carrying our cross alone.
A crucifix is a powerful reminder of this truth. Our Italian Hand-Painted Crucifix beautifully depicts the sacrifice through which Christ transformed suffering into the path to eternal life. Displayed in your home, it gently reminds us that every cross finds its meaning in His. Find yours today at The Catholic Company!
