Reclaiming Our Children: A Blog About Healing After Abortion

a really nice reflection….

The Good Thief by Fr. Sopocko

On each side of Our Lord hung a
thief on a cross. "Now one of those robbers who were hanged was abusing
him, saying: 'If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us!' But the
other in answer rebuked the first and said, 'Dost not even thou fear
God, seeing that thou art under the same sentence? And we indeed justly,
for we are receiving what our deeds deserved; but this man has done
nothing wrong.' And he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom'." (Luke 23 : 39-42).

Why did the other robber blaspheme?
Perhaps as some sort of despairing gesture of defiance against his
terrible fate. Or perhaps because he had lost hope of Our Lord's being
able to save Himself and them—he repeated: "If thou art the Christ [the
Messiah], save thyself and us." Most probably, however, because darkness
reigned in his soul. For there, before his eyes, were examples of
Divine and human holiness; he heard the voice of Our Lord, praying for
His enemies; he saw in Him an unparalleled patience; beneath the cross
stood the Mother of Mercy, interceding for him. But the wicked man
resisted the action of grace, and died blaspheming the Saviour, who was
so soon to become his Judge.

Could anything be more tragic and
terrible to the Merciful Saviour? The Shepherd looked on at the loss of
His sheep, casting itself by its own choice into the jaws of hell! The
grace of mercy encountered the impenetrable obstacle of final obduracy.
Mary's tender gaze found no response in the icy heart of the prisoner
writhing with pain. No tongue can describe the grief that this caused to
Our Lord and His Mother.

While this thief was blaspheming, the
other began to reflect on himself, and repent. First he sharply rebuked
the bad thief for his blasphemy and impious attitude to the Saviour,
pointing out that the punishment that both thieves were undergoing was
no more than their just deserts, and reminding him of the future
punishment that God would inflict on them, and which would be even more
severe, if they did not now repent. So he said: "Dost not even thou fear
God?"—in other words: You are already suffering so much now—are you not
afraid, with such sins on your conscience, to face the judgment? The
good thief had begun to fear God, and this was the beginning of his
repentance, which he proclaimed by publicly admitting his guilt and his
readiness to accept his punishment: "We are receiving what our deeds
deserved."

the rest is here: http://www.divinemercy.org/trust/the-good-thief.html