"The Church is for everyone, especially for the bad " and " God’s
salvation can reach any man in any condition, even the most negative and
painful".
Pope Francis focused his catechesis for the general audience
today on forgiveness as a central element to Christ’s teaching,
indicating in the "good thief" a "witness of Grace; the unthinkable
happened: God loved me so much that he died on the cross for me. " And
with his repentance "he succeeded in stealing Heaven, this is a good
thief."
The reflection that Francis made for the 30 thousand people present in
St Peter's Square, began with the affirmation that " sus’ words during
His Passion culminate in forgiveness: “Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). For the good thief, these are not
mere words, for Jesus truly forgives him. Saint Luke tells of two
criminals crucified with Jesus, who turn to Him with opposing attitudes.
The first insults him, like all the people present there insulted him,
like the rulers of the people, but prompted by despair: "Are you not
the Christ? Save yourself and us! "(Lk 23,39). This cry testifies to the
anguish of man before the mystery of death and the tragic awareness
that only God can provide the liberating answer: it is therefore
unthinkable that the Messiah, the one sent by God, should hang from the
cross while doing nothing to save himself . They did not understand the
mystery of Jesus' sacrifice. But Jesus saved us by staying on the cross.
And we all know it is not easy to stay on the cross on our small daily
crosses, He remained on this great Cross and suffering there, He saved
us, He showed his great omnipotence and has forgiven us.
"There He makes his gift of love, gushing forth always our salvation. By
dying on the Cross, innocent between two criminals, he proves that
God’s salvation can reach any man in any condition, even the most
negative and painful. God's salvation is for everyone: for all! Without
exception. And it is offered to all. This is why the Jubilee is a time
of grace and mercy for all, good and bad, those who are healthy and
those who suffer. But remember the parable that Jesus tells us of the
wedding feast of a powerful man’s son: when the guests did not want to
come, he said to his servants: 'Go out to the crossroads, call everyone,
good and bad ...'. We are all called: good and bad. The Church is not
just for good or for those who seem to think they are good. The Church
is for everyone, and preferably also for the bad, because the Church is
mercy ".
"And this time of grace and mercy reminds us that nothing can separate
us from the love of Christ! (Cf. Rom 8:39). Those who are nailed to a
hospital bed, who live locked in a prison, who are trapped by war, I
say: look at the Crucifix; God is with you, He stays with you on the
Cross and offers Himself to all as Savior. He accompanies us, all of us,
who suffer so much, He is crucified for you, for us, for everybody. Let
the power of the Gospel penetrate into your heart and console you, give
you hope and the intimate certainty that no one is excluded from His
forgiveness. You may wonder: 'But tell me, Father, do even those who
have done the worst possible things in life have a chance to be
forgiven?' - 'Yes! Yes: no one is excluded from God's forgiveness. Only
those who draw near to Jesus, who repent and desire to be embraced".
"This was the case with the first thief. The other is the so-called
"good thief". His words are a wonderful model of repentance, a
catechesis focused on learning how to ask for forgiveness from Jesus.
First, he turns to his companion: " Don't you fear God," he said, "since
you are under the same sentence?" ( Lk 23,40). This is the starting
point of repentance: fear of God. But not being afraid of God, no:
filial fear of God. It is not being afraid, rather it is the respect
that is due to God because He is God. A filial respect because He is the
Father. The good thief recalls the fundamental attitude that is
openness to trust in God: awareness of His omnipotence and His infinite
goodness. This then gives us the confidence that helps to make room for
God and trust in his mercy. Then, the good thief declares the innocence
of Jesus and openly confesses his guilt: " We are punished justly, for
we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing
wrong"(Lk 23,41): thus he says. Therefore, Christ is on the Cross to be
with the guilty: proximity, He offers them salvation. This is a scandal
for the leaders and for the first thief, for those who were there and
made fun of Jesus, however this is the foundation of His faith. And so
the good thief becomes a witness of grace; the unthinkable happened: God
loved me so much that he died on the cross for me. The faith of this
man is the result of the grace of Christ: his eyes contemplate the
Crucified and the love of God for him, a poor sinner. It’s true, he was
thief, he was a thief: it is true. He had stolen all his life. But in
the end, he regretted what he had done, by contemplating the good and
merciful Jesus he succeeded in stealing Heaven: he is a good thief! ".
"The good thief finally addresses Jesus directly, imploring help:"
Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom "(Lk 23,42). He calls
him by name, Jesus, confidently, and so confesses what the name
indicates: 'the Lord saves': this is what 'Jesus' means. The man asks
Jesus to remember him. How much tenderness in this expression, how much
humanity! It is the human being’s need not be abandoned, that God always
be near. In this way a condemned man becomes the Christian model that
relies on Jesus. Oh ... this is deep: a man condemned to death is a
model for us. A model of a man, a Christian who trusts in Jesus; and
even model of the Church in the liturgy that so often invokes the Lord
saying, 'Remember ... Remember ... Remember your love ...'. While the
good thief speaks to the future: "When you come into your kingdom,"
Jesus' answer immediate, when he says: "Today you will be with me in
Paradise" (v. 43). The hour of the cross, the salvation of Christ
reaches its climax; and His promise to the good thief reveals the
fulfillment of His mission: that is, to save sinners. At the beginning
of his ministry, in the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus had proclaimed he
would "release to the captives" (Lk 4:18); in Jericho, in the house of
the tax collector Zacchaeus a sinner, he had declared that "the Son of
man - that is, He - has come to seek and to save that which was lost"
(Lk 19,9). On the Cross, the last act confirms the realization of this
plan of salvation. From beginning to end he poured out Mercy, revealing
Himself to be the definitive and unrepeatable incarnation of the
Father. Jesus really is the face of the merciful Father. And the good
thief called him by name: 'Jesus'. It 'a short prayer, and we can all do
it so many times during the day:' Jesus'. 'Jesus', simply. Let's do
this three times, all together? So:'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus'. Do this all
day. "
In his greetings in Spanish, Francis turned to Mexico, "I must spare a
thought for the Mexican people. I heard you sing the Guadalupana before -
he continued – praying for the suffering of this people, can you sing
this again? ".
The group sang a verse of the Guadalupana, and in the end
the Pope said "Thanks".