“Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

What an amazing promise by Jesus to the so-called good thief as they hung on the cross next to each other.  Tradition tells us the name of the good thief was Dismas.

Luke’s Gospel reports that the other thief on the cross had joined the crowd in hurling insults at Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah?  Save yourself and us.”  But Dismas rebuked him, saying, “Have you no fear of God…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.’”  Jesus replied, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” 

This statement confirms so many of Jesus’ other statements that we live on after our physical death and where will be is determined by our choice, as demonstrated by the actions of the two thieves.  As Bishop Fulton Sheen says in his book, Life of Christ, Dismas’ statement to Jesus “was the only word spoken to the Cross that was not a reproach.”  All other words spoken to Jesus by those present were challenging or mocking him.  It was also “the only word spoken to the Cross that received an answer, and it was the promise of Paradise to the thief that very day.”

This week we celebrate our national holiday of Thanksgiving.  In addition to all the usual things that we thank God for including life, family, friends, and wellbeing, let us remember Jesus’ promise to Dismas – the promise of life after this life with the creator of all that exists.

Will you be thanking God for the promise of paradise this Thanksgiving?

“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” (John 4:1 – 42)

While traveling through Samaria, Jesus encountered a woman getting water at Jacob’s well.  Jews and Smaritans didn’t usually associate with one another, but Jesus surprised her by engaging in a conversation. As they talked, he mentioned that she had had several husbands.  She left her water jar, went back to town, and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?”

The people in the town came out to listen to Jesus, and “many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the women’s testimony.”

This story is a great example of the importance of our personal testimonies in bringing people to Christ. 

This past Sunday, I was participating at our church in a video series entitled The Resuce Project conducted by Father John Ricardo, Ch 7 – Words are not enough – The Experience – ACTS XXIX. His talk and reflection were on the Holy Spirit.  Toward the end of his talk, he asked people to imagine that they were having a personal conversation with Jesus.  He said let the Holy Spirit convince you that the Father loves you for who you are.  He said the Holy Spirit is in you like heat is in hot water. Let him convince you that Jesus came to rescue you and love you.   

In a discussion that followed, I was prompted to share that I had responded to a similar suggestion by a priest several years earlier that resulted in my having a personal encounter with Jesus.  This encounter led to a turning point in my life and a complete change in my priorities.   

While I may never know the effect of my testimony, I think the Lord wants us to share our experiences with him as he prompts us to do so.    

Have you shared your experiences of the Lord with others?       

“You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3: 1 – 21)

Jesus is having a conversation with Nicodemus, a Jewish Pharisee, who came to Jesus seeking understanding about Jesus’ miracles.  Jesus tells him, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  Nicodemus is thinking of physical birth and asks how a person can be born a second time.  Jesus is speaking of a spiritual birth, and responds, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit.” 

We do receive the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in our baptism and the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, along with a reaffirmation of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of confirmation.  But we may also need to experience a personal encounter with Jesus and the release of the power of the Holy Spirit as an adult to fully experience the reality of our baptism – thus, being born again in the Spirit. 

I have shared in these pages before of an incident in my 30’s when I experienced a personal encounter with Jesus and the release of the power of the Holy Spirit at a renewal program conducted by some nuns in Scarsdale, New York.  In response to a priest’s prayer, I had asked Jesus to free me from a particular sin in my life and he did.  The nuns subsequently prayed for me to experience the release of the power of the Holy Spirit,  

From that point forward my priorities and focus changed from being very career oriented to being more family focused and seeking God’s will in the daily choices of life.  I am still very capable of messing up and do so quite often, but the Spirit always draws me back to God. 

It’s been forty-eight years since that October evening, and I have tried to share about God’s presence in a variety of circumstances involving family, children, grandchildren, work, friends, and all kinds of situations in these pages.  I praise God for that special moment that led to a life full of moments of experiencing God’s presence.

Have you accepted Jesus’ invitation to be spiritually born again?

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

I was on a retreat this past weekend where the theme was welcoming God into our deepest thoughts in order to let him work on us.  For this to happen we need to be still before the Lord as the psalm encourages.  While I start most days with a time of prayer, I often find myself doing prayer rather than spending time WITH the Lord. 

I read scripture or the mass readings for the day or the Liturgy of the Hours but neglect to ask the Lord if he has something to say to me?  I will ask him to bless my day and my family and whatever may be on the schedule.

But I tend to be a doer like Martha in the story in Luke 10:38 – 42 where Jesus was visiting the home of Martha and Mary.  Martha got upset because Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to him and not helping with the preparations for a meal.  Jesus’ response was, “Martha, Martha, you are upset and worry about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

It is clear that Jesus places a high priority on our listening to him.  While he is in us through our baptism and we benefit from his presence, we benefit even more when we take time to actively listen to him.  Just as I am asking him right now to put thoughts in my mind to write this blog, we can ask him in our prayer time and throughout the day to guide us in whatever we are doing —  responding to a deadline at work, resolving a conflict with a family member, or reacting to a stranger asking for a handout on a street corner. 

Our thoughts can be a battleground.  Satan loves to distract us in our thoughts about personal needs and desires, but focusing on God’s presence in us can offset that self-focus and bring God’s presence into the circumstances of our lives.  As John says in his first letter, “for he who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world.” 1John 4:4)

Do you do prayer or spend time with the Lord, listening to him?