Lest You Remain

With another example our author shows the truth of Divine Mercy in Christ’s meeting with the sinful woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee. She had already been converted and for this reason our Redeemer defended her against the Pharisees’ verbal attacks, and then sent her away with the words “go in peace” (Lk 7:50). He treats similarly each repentant person. A person burdened with sins would come to Christ, but he or she would leave freed of them all, as if shaking off binding chains. Bitterness filled the heart of such a person, but now it is infused with sweetness. It was immersed in the darkness of errors, and now it is enveloped in the brightness of sun. It was perturbed by an internal struggle, but now it is at peace. 4 Father Papczy < ski sees an even greater example of Divine Mercy in the conver- sion of a “repentant thief.” He hung on his gibbet at the right hand of the Crucified Redeemer and he might have heard Him praying to the Father for His enemies. Then he understood that Jesus was innocent although He was submitted to such a terrible torture. Influenced by the light of the Sun, in whose presence he found himself, he fully understood the evil of his actions, for which he was condemned to death. He then likewise defended Christ against the words of his fellow criminal. He admon- ished him for bad-mouthing the Redeemer who was guilty of no crime. The thief understood that this falsely accused, innocent man, was the Redeemer and that He suffered for him. Thus, he asked Him the favor of remembering him in His Kingdom. By this appeal he won over Christ’s heart and gained His pardon with the promise of being taken by Him to heaven (cf. Lk 23:41-43). The thief earned paradise through a critical, though delayed, repentance. He acknowledged his offenses, repented of them, and made his confession before the very High Priest, crucified next to him. 5 Discussing the example of the conversion of the thief on the cross, who was grasped by the Divine Mercy at the time of execution, the author reaches out to St. Augustine who thus commented this conversion: “this [alleged] Thief [Christ] through the wood {of the cross} performed an act of redemption, while this [true] thief stole the Kingdom of Heaven thus violating Majesty (…). You have seen how a robber and thief of paradise who hasn’t forgotten his trade even on the cross stole the Kingdom of Heaven by means of his very confession.” This comparison helps Fr. Papczy < ski to illustrate the idea of obtaining the Kingdom of Heaven through repentance, thus opening the road to paradise. Father Papczy < ski entertains yet another thought of St. Augustine who sees the conversion of the thief as great hope Christ in the Spirituality of the Servant of God, Fr. St. Papczy < ski 197 4 „Tecum non aliter hodie processum est. Quid enim aliud ad divinam mensam propter innumera peccata attulisti? Et ecce his, quasi vinculis dirissimis, exsolutus inde redis. Quid, praeter amarorem cor tuum gestavit? et en iam dulcedine repletum est. Tenebris involutus multorum defectuum eo pro- cedebas: inde sole amictus quas vestimento regrederis. Bello interno agitatus sacram petiisti synax- im; hac sumpta pace dulcissima potitus es. O quas Deo persolves tanto pro munere grates? Dilige multum, dilige perfecte, dilige constantissime”. Ibid., f. 126r. 5 S. Papczy < ski, Orator Crucifixus , Cracowiae 1670, 27 n.