Chapter 18

Unmasking Catholicism

Mary Ann Collins, a former Catholic nun

Chapter 18
The Good Thief

Jesus was crucified between two thieves. Luke's Gospel gives some very interesting information about one of those thieves. (He is called a "malefactor," which is an old-fashioned word for a criminal.) The Apostle Luke wrote:

"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou are in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:39-43)

The thief went to Heaven the day that he died. There was no Purgatory. He went straight to Heaven.

The thief had faith in Jesus. He recognized Jesus' Godly character. He believed in Jesus. Because of that, he believed what Jesus said about Himself. While he and Jesus were both hanging on crosses, in agony, it sure didn't look like Jesus was a King. It sure didn't feel like it. But the thief's faith in Jesus was stronger than his feelings.

The thief asked Jesus to have mercy on him, to help him. And Jesus responded by promising that the thief would go to Heaven with Him—that very day.

The thief wasn't baptized. He didn't receive the "last rites" or the "sacrament of reconciliation" ("confession"). He didn't do any good works to merit salvation. He didn't do any penances. He didn't go see a priest. He didn't obey a Pope.

All he did was have faith in Jesus and ask Him for mercy. And he loved Jesus. That is shown by how he rebuked the other thief for mocking Jesus and speaking against Him.

Faith and love and a plea for mercy—it was as simple as that.

Jesus once called a little child to him and He used that child as a sermon illustration. He said:

"Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3-4)

It takes humility to ask Jesus to save us, instead of trying to earn our own way into Heaven by doing good works. It takes the simplicity and humility of a child to just love Jesus, and trust Him, and ask Him to make it right for us.

In this passage, Jesus warned us about the danger of becoming "adults" who are so sophisticated and so complicated that we are no longer able to receive salvation from Him with the simple faith and trust and love of a little child.

Catholicism is a religion of sophisticated "adults," full of rules, and rituals, and complicated theology, and tongue-twisting technical talk. It is full of trying to be good enough to earn your way into Heaven by doing things—going to Mass, receiving the sacraments, doing good works, obeying the Catholic Church, being devoted to Mary, praying to saints, doing penances, saying special prayers, and so on.1

But the Bible talks of simple faith, like a child—and like the thief on the cross. He just believed and asked Jesus to help him. And he went straight to Heaven with Jesus.

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