Gospel: Luke 23:35-43

And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at Jesus, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” 

Luke 23:35-43

Reflection:

Our gospel for today is from Luke 23:35-43 which commemorates Christ as the King. This is one of the meaningful passages in the scripture. Jesus and the two thieves convened with each other, and then reflected on what was going on their minds.

As people of God, we should bring out the deep meaning of the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This message from Luke 23:35-43 will free us from our sins and grant us the gift of everlasting life. We must celebrate today this feast with great happiness that God is our savior.

We find it hard to watch Jesus in pain as He saved us for our sins before. The cross is the symbol of our redemption from our sins. God somehow brings good out of the suffering of the innocent.

Luke 23:35-43 tells us that salvation begins here and now. The thieves in the first topic we had were also two different symbol. The second thief recognizes Jesus and humbled himself. He asked Jesus for forgiveness from his sins. He hears the promise of eternal joy from Jesus’ lips. Salvation begins when we hear Him in our hearts and we ought to wait for our season. Jesus promises us eternal salvation. When I am suffering, I can turn to Jesus and hear the same words. ‘Today’ means ‘in God’s good time.

Luke 23:35-43 reminds us of the glamour and splendor of God. We need to train ourselves to look for signs of Jesus’ reign. His real identity we can see is not a secret for we know how to find Him. This is the real message of the gospel from Luke 23:35-43. Let God open up your hearts and let Him work in ways He only knows. Everything is under control because of God.  – Clea | Helpline PH