Neither dost thou fear God, seeing we are in the same condemnation ? Whatever these other men may do and say, wagging their heads and crying, Vah! we two, who are doomed, and so near our death, we cannot join in their wickedness. We must fear God.

As he speaks, grace is growing rapidly in his soul.

C. And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds.

"O vos omnes." O all you Christian men and women who go by the way, stay a little while and listen to the wonderful word spoken by a robber who has spent his days in sin and is now for the first time penitent. We must consider in our hearts, and wonder, as we watch what grace can do, and with what speed it can work. For it is easy in the eyes of God on a sudden to make the poor man rich (Ecclus. xi.). Oh, it is good for Dismas to be here on Calvary. For in one short hour he has learned what oftentimes we do not learn in long years. Our Blessed Lady remembers the promise spoken to her: No word shall be impossible with God.

Is it a common thing, or is it a rare thing among us, to hear those who are suffering severely, though suffering far less grievously than Dismas, say, We indeed justly, we are receiving the just reward of our deeds?

If I can get so far as to say with the penitent prodigal : "I am not worthy to be treated as Thy child, my God. Make me one of Thy poor hirelings": if I can bring myself to believe and to say, after my sins, that ill-usage is good enough for me, that my heart ought to expect reproach and misery: oh, what a comforting assurance this is that my absolutions are thoroughly valid and ratified in Heaven!

Sometimes, immediately after absolution from very heinous sins, and a long course of sin, men murmur: Now that I am serving God well, why does He not bless me? Why does not my business prosper? Why do not Catholics Ideal with me? In vain have I justified my heart, and washed my hands among the innocent (Psalm lxxii.).

Or, again, too often, even when one confesses grievous sin and begs forgiveness, he has no mind at all to allow his neighbour to treat him as a sinner, or even say one disrespectful word to him. 'I may be a sinner in God's sight," he says, no right to insult me.

66

"but this man does not know that: he has

I will not stand it."

Is this contrition? Is this the genuine loving contrition that covereth a multitude of sins? I counsel thee to buy gold fire-tried. We who have grown old amid the good things of Christ's charity find it so hard, even when we know our guilt, to accept punishment as well deserved so quick are we to resent even a word of correction, so inclined to screen ourselves, even by a lie, from blame-and yet this malefactor is able to say in the first hour of his conversion, although enduring agonising torture: We are receiving the due reward of our deeds.

D. We indeed justly.
"Est homo marcidus

"There is a sorry man, wanting restoratives, his strength far gone; abounding in need: and yet the eye of God hath looked upon him for good, and hath lifted him up from his low estate, and hath exalted his head: and many have wondered at him, and glorified God" (Ecclus. xi.).

Here then we see the thief lifted up from the dunghill, and already established in a degree of virtue precious in God's sight. For a humble and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. Dismas has already a contrite and humble heart, since in the extremity of bodily agony he is able to say, We indeed justly: we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. Now he has planned in his heart a further ascent, and from one virtue he will mount to another: In his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps . . . (he) shall go from virtue to virtue. The God of gods shall be seen (by him) in Sion (Psalm lxxxiii.).

E. But this Man hath done no evil.

...

He does not yet recognise his Hidden God; only a suffering man in sore need. And out of his own poverty he gives this fellow-sufferer great alms.

Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, I give thee (Acts iii.).

Even if he were rich in gold and silver, Dismas cannot stretch out his crucified hand to offer it. "The thief," St. Gregory writes, "had nothing now free from torment except his heart and his tongue. Touched by Divine grace, he offers all that remains at his disposal to the service of his fellow-sufferer."

F. This Man hath done no evil.

Dismas gives a great alms:

1. Because, when a man is himself suffering great pain, it costs him much to rouse himself to work for another. And alms become more precious in God's sight in proportion to what they cost us.

2. Because "a friend in need," we say, "is a friend indeed". Our Saviour in this hour is in extreme necessity. Till now He has been saying: I looked on My right hand, and beheld, and there was no one that would know Me (Psalm cxli.). At last He has found on His right hand a friend who feels for Him.

We need not envy Dismas. Jesus remains always poor and needy among us, that each of us may be a friend in need to Him.

3. Then again, it is a great alms, because the battle against Jesus is raging on Calvary, and it requires much courage to utter such a word as this. Heretofore, when the blind man after his cure spoke up for Jesus, these Priests and Ancients had no words bad enough for him. They cast him out of the Synagogue as an excommunicated reprobate. To-day their rage, like the furnace in Babylon, is heated seven times more than it had been accustomed to be heated (Daniel iii.). They are in such a state of frenzy-so little, their terror tells them, is wanting to stir up the people in favour of Jesus-that they are ready to tear in pieces any one who shall dare to take His part. Consequently, several of the holy Fathers of the Church, considering the courage

with which Dismas-in presence of the Rulers, and after hearing all their denunciations of Jesus-proclaims His innocence, are not afraid to speak of him as a martyr.

"He began his chastisement," St. Augustine writes, 66 as a robber, but ends it as a martyr." This word of the Good Thief is the strongest possible condemnation of the Rulers. For if Jesus has done no evil, evil indeed must be they who have crucified Him.

Contemplate, then, the surprise, the indignation, the fury with which the Priests and Scribes hear this public profession from Dismas and scowl upon him. Why do they not fall upon him? (1) Because Jesus from His Cross, though He does not choose to save Himself, is well able to defend whom He pleases.

And (2) because the Centurion in charge is not so much the slave of the Rulers as his master Pilate has been, and he knows how to repress disorder. Many dogs have encompassed Me: the council of the malignant hath besieged Me, and they have looked and stared upon Me (Psalm xxi.). They can stare wildly on Dismas, and gnash their teeth, but no more.

G. This Man hath done no evil.

4. Another reason why this well-timed alms is so consoling to the agonised Soul of our Lord, is that it comes from a contrite and humbled heart. The immediate effect of contrition in the heart of Zacheus was: If I have wronged any man, I restore him four-fold. Dismas is now

bent on making all the reparation in his power. Grievously, he now sees, grievously he has wronged this innocent and patient Man, Jesus of Nazareth: cruelly, too, that disconsolate Mother. And most earnestly he desires to make some poor amends.

"O Mother of God, Refuge of Sinners, pray for us. sinners as you prayed for the first-born of your sinful children, that we too may have a great desire to make good, four-fold, every wrong we have done."

H. This Man hath done no evil.

Give alms-our Saviour said, not long ago, to His enemies, the Pharisees—give alms, and behold all things are clean to you (St. Luke xii.). Alms, holy Tobias said, deliver from all sin, and from death: and will not suffer the soul to go into darkness (c. iv.).

When St. Raphael had rendered such great services, the good old man, filled with gratitude, said to his son : What can we give to this holy man that is come with thee? Father, his grateful son answered, what wages shall we give him? or what can be worthy of his benefits? (Job xii.).

Sursum corda! We may contemplate the infinite gratitude of our Saviour communing now with His Eternal Father, and asking in profound humility of heart: "My Father, what can we give to Dismas?" We say, "Quid retribuam Domino !" But He says with infinitely greater humility and reverence and gratitude: Quid retribuam latroni ? "What shall I give in return to the penitent for the good alms he has given to Me?" And the Blessed Mother knows her Son's secret thoughts, and, consoled ineffably, waits, and watches to see what His grateful Heart will do, and His blessed angels, with their Queen, wait and watch in admiration.

They have not long to wait. Jesus has promulgated this law: Ask and you shall receive. Therefore He puts it Himself into the mind of Dismas to ask, in order that He may be able to give.

I. This Man has done no evil.

Dismas said no more. This seems a passing word. But never through time or in eternity shall it pass away. Mark how the little grain of mustard-seed grows into a great tree that shall live for ever, because gratitude in our Lord's Heart is infinite.