“Amen, I say to you,—¨today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Behold the power of the impossible.

There was a criminal hanging on a cross. He was naked, with nails driven through His hands and feet. He was alone, abandoned by those who were His friends.

This criminal was charged with undermining governmental authority.

—Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

A criminal, crucified along side other criminals, seditionists, thieves, murderers.

This criminal to whom another criminal, a thief turned and said:

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”—¨

Jesus the criminal who told Pilate:

“My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants (would) be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”

Pilate questioned Jesus, looking for an answer in his questions. The answer was given, Pilate ignored it.

The Chief Priests and elders, the soldiers, and the other thief reviled Jesus. They verbally abused Him while he was dying, all looking for a sign, for proof that He was the Messiah, the Christ. Only the cross was given, they looked right at the sign and missed it.

St. Dismas, the —good thief— wasn’t looking for a sign. He didn’t have any questions. He simply asked:

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

The cross is the sign of the impossible.

That God would join His immortality to humanity and offer Himself as a sacrifice, a sacrifice offered in the most horrific way, is impossible. That God who has and is all would deign to love us that much is impossible. That this criminal dying on a cross is our immortal, eternal King and God is impossible.

Yet, we are here.

Yet we kneel and pray in the manner He taught.

Yet we build churches and spread His Gospel.

My friends, brothers and sisters,

We are impossible. Our mere existence as a people of faith and our acceptance of all this is impossible.

But St. Paul tells us:

Let us give thanks to the Father,—¨who has made you fit to share—¨in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. —¨He delivered us from the power of darkness—¨and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,—¨in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Today we celebrate this Solemnity. We look into the eyes of our public servants, our government, our employers, our families and say, this criminal, on the cross, is our King.

We say that what is impossible has been made possible. The Father has done this.

We say that Jesus is the Everlasting of Ages, the One through Whom and by Whom everything came into being. He is the one in Whose image we are fashioned. He is our beginning and our destiny.

Brothers and sisters,

If you wear a cross, if you have one on the lapel of your jacket, look at it in the mirror tonight. Look at the cross on the wall of your kitchen, or living room, or bedroom and say out loud, You are my King and my God.

It will be hard at first, saying it out loud. But persist. Saying it out loud is the first step to proclaiming it out loud.

Doing good works and acts of charity is perfectly in keeping with our character as Christians. More than this however, we must engage in active proclamation, the preaching and teaching of Jesus Christ through our words.

Tell all that you meet: He is our King. His Kingdom is not of this world. Rather it is eternal and perfect. Beautiful and magnificent. God came to us, died for us; all so we could live with Him forever. Come join us.

Jesus answered Pilate:

“You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

We proclaim Him our King.

If we believe what we say then listen to His voice, proclaim His truth, tell of Him, teach others about Him, and follow Him.

Amen.

“What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

My brothers and sisters from Sacred Heart and St. Mary Our Lady of Czestochowa and Sacred Heart of Jesus – Holy Cross:

What is your concept of doing the works of God?

I imagine that our being here, in church, quickly jumps to mind. Being in church is certainly a work of God. Praying to Him, worshiping Him, thanking Him, receiving Him, are our duty and most certainly a work of God.

I also imagine that our reason for being here tonight is right in the forefront of our minds.

After all, tomorrow we will gather around tables big and small, some holding twenty-six pound turkeys and some holding only a small turkey breast.

Somewhere near the beginning of our feast we will calm the children, get grandma out of the kitchen, bow our heads, and in some special way say thank you to God.

Our thanks may be focused on some recent event, a promotion, recovery from an illness, reconciliation with a loved one, or it may be more long term, a thanksgiving for love, family, friends, success. Some might even go so far as to give thanks for a lesson learned from suffering.

Whatever the reason, we can say yes, being thankful, that’s doing the work of God.

When we come to church, especially around this time of year, we may contribute a few extra dollars to help the needy, or for disaster relief. We may bring a bag of canned goods for the food pantry, or for those lovingly prepared Thanksgiving baskets that will suddenly appear on the doorstep of those who may be loosing hope.

Certainly our charity is the work of God.

The young among us will be anxiously awaiting Santa in tomorrow’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Seeing him their minds will turn toward their Christmas list.

Drawing an analogy, perhaps we should turn our minds to our Christian list. How have I done the works of God?

Giving thanks, check; In church, check; Beatitudes, check; Ten Commandments, check; Charitable, check. It goes on.

When they asked:

“What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

—¨Jesus told them:

“This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

When we ask, Jesus says the same:

“This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

In response both they and we are left to ask this question:

“Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? —¨

My brothers and sisters,

Those asking in that day, and we, have received only one sign.

The cross.

Hmmm, not something for Thanksgiving eve. A little tough before the turkey. Something a little more Good Friday-ish. But that’s it. The cross.

We are here to give thanks on the eve of a national holiday. We gather ecumenically, brothers and sisters, similar in certain ways yet distinct in others; gathered to attest to this: we share in the cross.

We are changed, transformed, because of that cross. We are changed, transformed, because we believe in Him whom He has sent.

All the dross of the world, the things big and small that we will mark with thanks are quite secondary to the fact that the thankfulness of Christians is completely centered on Jesus Christ. Him whom He has sent.

The very fact that God came down among us to give us this sign is enough for us. Because of this cross we believe in Him.

Believing in Him we are transformed, and one day we will be transfigured.

Jesus told us:

Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:—¨he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

What must we do? Today we must pause to give thanks. I am thankful for Jesus Christ in whom I believe. I am thankful for the sign of the cross which I received in baptism. I am thankful that I have been transformed and regenerated in the cross. I am thankful for the foundation that has been set for me in the Holy Church. I am thankful that the sign given to me holds the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.

My friends,

—[T]he bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.—

Doing the work of God is simple, believe in Jesus Christ. Carrying out that belief, living it is much harder.

So first, let us say: Thank you God for this bread, the bread that is Jesus Christ. The bread that is His Holy Church, The bread that gives us eternal life.

Then let us say: Lord, give us the strength to live in complete unity with You and Your cross.

“Lord, give us this bread always.” —¨

Amen.