“Today You Will Be with Me in Paradise”: The Good Thief, Salvation, and the Catholic Doctrine of Redemption
©2026 Victor R. Claveau, MJ Table of Contents Introduction Among the Seven Last Words spoken by Christ from the Cross, few possess the theological depth, pastoral tenderness, and salvific hope contained in the declaration addressed to the repentant thief: “Amen I say to thee: this day thou shalt be with me in paradise.” —Luke 23:43 […]
The Sacrifice of the Mass
Victor R. Claveau, MJ 🔹 Core Claim The Mass is the true, sacramental re-presentation (making present) of the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary—not a new sacrifice, but the same sacrifice made present in an unbloody manner. ✠ 1. Christ Instituted a Sacrificial Memorial At the Last Supper, Jesus said: Key point: Conclusion: Christ […]
Did Jesus have to suffer to save us?
The entire Catholic Tradition is clear that the Atonement is because of Christ, who was sacrificed according to God’s plan for us. David Paul Deavel Late in his life, St. John Henry Newman declined an offer from a Protestant to explain the Atonement fully. He replied that the Atonement is a theological mystery, far too […]
To Dwell in the Side of Christ
This devotion sounds more than a little jarring to us today, but it has deep roots in both Scripture and Tradition, and constitutes a unique challenge—and invitation—to Christians in our time. Matthew Becklo In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Francis de Sales recounts the following story about the fourteenth-century saint Elzear of Sabran: […]
Christ’s Passion
*The following sections on Christ’s Passion are taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. One would have to read nn. 595-618 to fully appreciate this teaching. All sinners were the authors of Christ’s Passion 598 In her Magisterial teaching of the faith and in the witness of her saints, the Church has never forgotten that “sinners […]
ON THE INSTRUMENTS OF CHRIST’S PASSION AND DEATH
As the sacred passion of Christ is the source of all our happiness and good, so the instruments of it are justly considered as objects of our respect and veneration. “If the ark,” says St. Jerome, “was held in such high veneration among the Jews, how much more ought Christians to respect the wood of […]
St. Leo the Great – Sermon 63 – The Fruits of the Passion
I. God chose to save man by strength made perfect in weakness. The glory, dearly-beloved, of the Lord’s Passion, on which we promised to speak again today, is chiefly wonderful for its mystery of humility, which has both ransomed and instructed us all, that He, who paid the price, might also impart His righteousness to […]
Obedience and the Passion of Christ
Victor Claveau. MJ On December 12, 2003, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I was privileged to attend a before release showing of Mel Gibson’s, The Passion of the Christ, starring Jim Caviezel, as Jesus. The movie opens with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying, while the Apostles Peter, James, and John slept. […]