One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the

Christ? Save yourself and us!' 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you
fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are
punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has
done nothing wrong.' 42 Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come
into your kingdom.' 43 Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will
be with me in paradise.'"
I tell you the truth; today you will be with me in paradise. Simple but
meaningful and significant words, arent they? And Isnt it very interesting to
know that while the first word from Jesus is a prayer of forgiveness, the second
word is about putting that prayer into action? After all, forgiveness is the very
essence of the cross, isnt it? Hindi ka pa humihingi ng tawad pinatawad ka na!
San ka pa diba? But it is not only forgiveness that he promised us, but also
assurance: I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.
Lets take a look at the scenario. Words like chaotic, dark and sorrowful are just
some of the words that may describe the atmosphere on that day. Jesus is
already in the cross, but he was not crucified alone. There were at least two
men who are to be executed, one on Jesus left and one his right. They are
criminals; sinners accused and proven guilty of theyre wrong doings. And yes,
they represent all of us. But these two men, as we know, are far different from
each other. Marahil parehas sila ng paraan sa kung paano namuhay, ngunit
hindi sa paraan sa kung paano sila namatay at lalong hindi sa kung kanino nila
inalay ang kanilang buhay. And THAT makes all the difference. Also, as we go on,
let us reflect and see ourselves in these two men and hope to find our own place
in the story.
So, three men crucified, condemned and in enormous pain. Two sinners: one on
the left and one on the right. The one on the left joins the crowd and mocks
Jesus, while the one on the right bravely rebukes the one on the left, confesses
his sin, and asks for forgiveness. And right then and there, Jesus accepts it
without hesitation or qualification. He didnt say, Let me get back to you on
this or Ill check if I still have space for you. He did not even have some
requirements like must have pleasing personality or must be Christian and
have worshipped and prayed for me since birth or even must have offered and
donated at least this amount to the church
God doesnt forgive us because we are worthy of it, God doesnt forgive us
because we earned it through our acts or because God expects us to become
better than what we were before. God forgives us the moment we turn to him
and simply say, remember me Even if youre the worst sinner in the world.
And while we recently agreed that these two men represent all of us as sinners,
I believe they also symbolize one of Gods greatest gifts: the gift of choice.
While God is a forgiving God and is a God of second chances, He still chooses to
give us freedom. When one criminal on the cross prayed and asked for mercy,
He loved him without uncertainty and saved him. When the other mocked, Jesus

loved him STILL and just let him. Jesus gave them a choice and he will still
continue to give it on us. It is just completely up to us to follow His lead.
I have this Ninang named Eleanor Roosevelt, and she once told me that, we are
the sum total of the choices weve made. Nope, it doesnt necessarily mean
that we are defined by our past, but it just simply states that you are a result of
all your decisions in life.
For example, you are physically fit because you choose to live a healthy
lifestyle. You chose to take healthy food, drinks lots of water, exercise regularly,
and sleep at least 8 hours a day. You are in your college major, because you
choose to stay and finish it, whether your parents told you so or you willingly
prefer it more than anything else. You are doing your job now, whatever it might
be, because you choose to do this to sustain your familys financial needs, or
maybe you choose to excel and wait for any promotion. It generally is the
application of the basic principle of cause and effect: you are what you choose
to be.
If you still do not understand it enough, let me ask you these questions. How
many of you here have made a big decision in his/her life, may it be in your
career, your health, your family, or even your love life? Well I bet every one of
you had that point in your lifetime (except maybe when you are a one year old
and choosing between crying and whining is the toughest decision you will ever
have to make.)
(Kidding aside) Maybe you decide to choose one job opportunity over the
other, or maybe a decision to leave a job to start your personal business. Maybe
a decision to start a family on your own or maybe a decision to finally put an
end to a relationship and move on? And what has happened since your
decision? Maybe you are happy and contented, or maybe you are sad and
regretful. But regardless of how you feel about your decisions, it is a reflection of
who you are and who you wanted to be.
I am so sure that the man on Jesus right has had a series of bad decisions in his
life. Kaya nga napako siya sa Krus diba. Malamang. Haha. Some versions of the
Bible says that they are thieves, some says that they are just plainly criminals,
and some says that they are sinners. Whatever we want to call them, we all
know that these are the result of their decisions in the past.
But this Holy week, Jesus reminds us to remember this one precious gift that He
specially gave to us humans; the privilege of free will. You wanna know the
difference between the devil and Jesus? The devil insists, but Jesus knocks. The
devil does everything to get you and gives you temptations, while Jesus grants
us the liberty to judge and to do what we want to do. And now Jesus is here
telling us his second word offering us salvation offering us, paradise!
Jesus gave mercy and compassion to a thief, a criminal, an evildoer, who has
been proven guilty and has been sentenced to death. Jesus first words TO A

PERSON arent to Mary, or to any of his disciples, but to a prodigal man, a

sinner.
Just imagine how shocked the sinner is when he heard the word when Jesus
looked Him in the eye and said you will be with me in paradise. If I would be
on the mans shoes, I would probably say, Lord sure ka? Ako at ikaw? Akong
makasalanan at ikaw na Panginoon? Ako na nagnakaw at ikaw na Hari? Ako at
Ikaw? Tayong dalawa? Forever? Talaga?
Analyzing the life of Jesus according to the Bible, He is always with those who
are lost, those who are left behind, the marginalized, and the outcast. He heals
the lepers, forgave the tax collectors and even chose them to be His disciples.
He constantly sided with the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the naked, the sick,
the least, the lost and the last. He declares Truly I tell you, whatever you did for
one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. He spent
all of his life reaching out and loving without boundaries.
Why is that? You may ask. Well isnt this the paradise that Jesus is talking about?
A place of enormous beauty and grace, where in one can enjoy and be stewards
of each other? A place where in we always feel Gods presence. A place where
you can see God in everything and in everyone. A place where there is no
conflict, pain, or evil. A place where love, peace, and justice wins. A place of no
poverty and discrimination. A place built in the foundation of love and
understanding. A place where our hearts are filled with thanks, because finally,
there are no more hunger, violence, fear, and pain.
And guess what! Hes granting it today! Paradise! Our wish is His command! Not
later, not tomorrow, not the day after that, but today. Not in a million years, not
after an hour. Today. Now. Immediately, instantaneously. Jesus is willing to give
everyone the paradise we are all looking for. We just need to go get it,
understand it, digest it, and put it into practice.
The two sinners crucified had a choice. Jesus knocked and offered them another
chance to change, despite everything they did in the past. Here he is giving
everyone a second, third, or nth chance! Hindi to parang lotto na the more
entries, the more chances of winning! Jesus gave it to the two men, and I
believe is still willing to give it to us for free! All we got to do is to reach out and
receive it with open arms.
The two sinners have had their fare share of unwise decisions in life. I wouldnt
deny that I did have for myself too. I guess every one of us here had those
moments too. Or perhaps some of you are still suffering from the effects of what
turned out to be a very bad choice. But regardless of who you are and who you
were, in this second word, God wants you to know that it is never too late for
you, for me, or for anyone in this world to just simply say, Remember me,
Father. Save me. This holy week, may we remember how powerful our God is
by his ability to take anyone, anytime into paradise.

And if we choose follow to Christ, may we also able to realize that paradise is
something we can do now, that paradise is something we can share and extend.
When was the last time some one asked for your help? When was the last time
you did a favor for a friend in need? When was the last time you set aside time
just to listen to a broken heart? When was the last time you really gave
something essential to the street children? When was the last time you gave
food to the hungry or gave drink to the thirsty or even visited someone whos
sick? When was the last time you put love on something or someone without
expecting something in return?
Paradise, my brothers and sisters in Christ, isnt just your imagination or your
fantasy. Paradise is something that can happen, right here, right now, and with
our one true God. If we just have the desire to let it be.
This Lent, may we be able to extend a little bit of paradise to those who are in
need. And like what he did to the sinner on the right, he will welcome you, and
say, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.