In Go to Heaven, Futon Sheen says this about the Good Thief:
Pain in itself is not unbearable; it is the failure to understand its meaning that is unbearable. If that thief did not see the purpose in pain, he would never have saved his soul. Pain can be the death of our soul, or it can be its life.”
And a little later:
“As long as we feel [our pain] is doing good for another, or even for our own soul by increasing the glory of God, it is easier to bear. A mother keeps a vigil at the bedside of her sick child. The world calls it ‘fatigue’ but she calls it love.”
If I can unite my suffering with Christ’s, as the Good Thief did, then who knows what great good may come of it?
It is hard to think about pain this way, especially when one is in the midst of suffering, because pain clouds or even dominates our minds and prevents us from thinking at all. It is wise, then, to reflect on pain and prepare for it and understand before it next arrives. The Good Thief acted wisely without the benefit of preparation. His decision to embrace his cross was made in the heat of battle, at the moment of truth. In the most dramatic fashion imaginable, he found himself in an eternal-life or eternal-death situation and rose (figuratively and literally) to the occasion.
The Bad Thief demanded of Jesus, “Save my skin!”
The Good Thief begged of Jesus, “Save my soul!”
Prayer
Lord, please give me the grace to unite my suffering with yours. Take my pain and do something good with it. Help me remember always that my pain in Your loving hands is always good.
