On Oct. 12 the Church celebrates the memorial of the Repentant Thief. Fr. Thomas shares what this scriptural saint means to him: The narrative about the repentant thief in Chapter 23 of St. Luke’s Gospel has fascinated me, a fascination that was deepened when I was able to spend some time with the community of our Trappist Abbey of Latroun, in Israel. A tradition since the 1300s claims the Latroun area (halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv) as the birth-area of the repentant thief. More likely the name ‘Latroun’ is not a derivative from the Latin, ‘latro’, meaning robber, but from the name of the fortress, La Toron de los Caballeros, of the Knights Templar, the ruins of which are on the monastic property, a fortress established by medieval crusaders.
The Scriptural narrative of this repentant robber has significant implications for our relationship with Jesus. In rebuking the other criminal, also crucified with them, the repentant thief acknowledges the divinity of Jesus, implicitly saying that Jesus is both human and divine. The repentant thief addresses Jesus by his personal name. The repentant thief asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus enters his kingdom. This acknowledges both the kingdom as eternal happiness and Jesus as king. Jesus’ kingship is basic in the annunciation to Mary. It surfaced from time to time in Jesus’ public life and is at the heart of his Passion. Jesus was crowned with thorns, sacrilegiously mocked as ‘king’ and spit upon by vulgar Roman soldiers. Its title was nailed to the top of the cross. The repentant thief does not request forgiveness but requests to be with Jesus, a request containing both a need for salvation and to be forever with the Word Incarnate. I believe that this relationship between Jesus and the repentant one, both sharing a death by crucifixion, reveals elements of a profound intimacy between them. What a magnificent way to share the last moments of their human lives!
Blessings,
Your brothers of New Clairvaux
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