On this last Sunday in Ordinary Time, we have the opportunity to look back and reflect upon what we have done (or haven’t done) during the past year. The conversation between Jesus and the two criminals on the cross is a lens into how we should reflect upon our lives. At the end of life, people rarely wish that they had gotten more possessions. Instead, they regret the fact that their relationships, especially the one with God, were not stronger. We do not know the hour when we will be called home. In the case of the criminals, they knew their hour of death was upon them and they were afforded a final opportunity to make amends with God. The one did; the other did not.
As you look back at this year what did you do to help others to encounter God in a new way? How did you encourage people to develop happy, healthy, and holy relationships? What regrets do you have? At the point of death, the bad criminal was focused only on saving himself. The good thief only asked for God’s mercy. Ultimately, our call is to invite others to seek out God’s Kingdom first and all these other things will be added unto you.
