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Text Box: WHAT MUST HAVE EXISTED FOR A CONVERSION AT DEATH The conversion of the Good Thief seemingly was at the last instant of his life; but it was not and could not have been a last minute conversion for conversion is not a last minute matter. It must have been an ongoing process and we can contemplate what this process might have been. We know he was a thief, and we believe he was a member of the Zionist rebel movement that attacked Rome and often stole from the populace, probably killing and pillaging to some extent. For the Good Thief to have been converted on the cross, he must have been at least somewhat uncomfortable with these activities. He must have known he was doing wrong and desired to stop doing them, or to find some other means of freeing his people if indeed freeing the Jews was one of his goals. He must have had remorse over his criminal activities not because he got caught, but because they were basically wrong. If your sins make you uncomfortable because they are sins, because they are wrong, then you are united with the Good Thief in acknowledging your own evil and in desiring to remove it as you would remove a boil. But if you do not acknowledge your own sins, or if you make excuses for them, saying this situation prompted me to do this evil, or this person tempted me, or the Devil knows my weaknesses and how am I supposed to be successful in opposing someone as powerful as the Devil, and in making these excuses seek to excuse your own liability for your own sins, then you have not joined the Good Thief, and have little potential for true sorrow for your sins. And if you just do not care, then, of course, you have not joined the Good Thief. Laity are not the only ones who must join with the Good Thief in acknowledging their own evil. There

Text Box: are many Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, who have not, and who desperately need to so do. They are impressed with their positions as being positions of honor, as indeed they are, but that honor imposes the duty of service and of humbly acknowledging the possessor’s unworthiness to hold the position. They must acknowledge their inadequacy in fulfilling their duties and in attempting to earn the honor with which they have been endowed. And they mast acknowledge the honor with which they have been endowed has not been earned - that it exists because of the trust which they been given and which they fulfill so poorly. So, the Clergy must join the Good Thief. For most of us, acknowledging our own evil is something which is a part of our existence. It is an every day thing. But for those in exalted positions this acknowledgment can be a difficult mater. Most of us can thank God we are not high ranking government officials, or top level corporate executives, or high ranking clergy, for our positions do not hinder our acknowledgment of our sins, of our own evil, and the need for correction. And we are blessed in that many of those whom we know who are in such positions, do acknowledge their own moral and spiritual inadequacies - their own sinfulness. Mankind constantly experiences natural disasters. The effects of some of these natural disasters effect hundreds, thousands, and occasionally tens and hundreds of thousands of people. How many of these say or think in the midst of the disaster, “God help me.” How many even just say “God!” How many say an expletive? How many say nothing because they knew not what was happening? And how many say nothing because they have no beliefs? How many are like the Bad Thief. And how many are like the Good Thief. We, those who possess any level of Faith, must pray and pray constantly, that all of humankind will learn to

Text Box: acknowledge that evil and sin are real. That each individual human being will acknowledge that we each constantly commit sins. That each of us will really and truly realize we each must have sorrow for our sins and attempt to correct them. That each individual attempt to join the Good Thief. Ref: Is. 59:1-4; Luke 23:39-43 +

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