The Gospel account from Luke chapter 23, verses 39-43:
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?
“And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
The good thief dies at the side of Jesus. In Catholic tradition he is known as Saint Dismas. The church considers him a saint. Jesus himself promised him paradise immediately.
“Dismas has always been a key figure in the crucifixion, because he was promised by Jesus Christ that he would be the first one to come to paradise along with him. So, that’s the only thing that we know about Dismas. We don’t know anything else. What attracted me about Dismas, was: “What did he see?” He was crucified on Calvary. On his left there was another crucified, another criminal, like him, but what did he see in that criminal, to recognize in him the Son of God? That’s what attracted my attention. I decide to understand the spirituality of that time, that moment, to see why he recognized the Messiah, the real Messiah,“ shared Tony Gratacós, author of “A Thief’s Song.”
Tony Gratacos is a bestselling author from Madrid, Spain. He came to Rome during lent to participate in the jubilee pilgrimage. With EWTN News he met on the bridge leading to the Castel Sant’Angelo, which is lined with stone angels carrying the instruments of torture. Looking at the tools used to torment Jesus, he shared his reasons to write a novel about the good thief with EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser.
So, you wrote a whole book about the character in the Bible we know very little about. What did you choose to tell about him and what not?
“What I wanted to choose were the main moments which would lead Dismas to the cross. That was the only important thing. What was in him? What came into him? It was first love, then bitterness… Then he was a thief and criminal, and then finally he came to the cross. That’s the way, which leads up to Calvary. I wanted to focus on those very moments.”
And you also describe these last moments of Jesus together with the good thief.
“That’s correct. Going up the Calvary, he has Jesus Christ behind him. He tried several moments to look at him, to see if he sees something in him which might let him recognise him as the Messiah, but he cannot see him. He cannot see him till the end, when the cross of Jesus Christ is raised up and then he sees Jesus Christ. Not only he sees Jesus Christ, but he sees, at his feet, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the blessed women. Those are the things that start to move him towards recognition of the Messiah.”
In Spain, you’re a best selling author, but not necessarily for Catholic literature. But with this book, it seems you want to bring Jesus closer to people through the eyes of the good thief.
“Yes, but I don’t like people to say: “Oh, this is a Catholic book, or a religious book.” I think this is a book. It talks about Dismas. Other books, which I wrote… One is about the Mexican conqueror Hernan Cortez. This is about Dismas. So, is it religious? Well, Dismas is kind of a very religious person. But this is a book for everyone. It’s an encounter with Jesus Christ, the person, Jesus Christ, the God.”
What can we learn from Dismas today?
“What we can learn from Dismas is the leap of faith he took. He had to take a leap of faith to recognise Christ in a criminal, in someone crucified on the cross. We as Catholics, as Christians, we have to do the same leap of faith in recognising Christ in a piece of bread on the altar.”
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Adapted by Jacob Stein
Produced by Andreas Thonhauser; Camera by Alberto Basile, Anthony Johnson; Video Edited by Andrea Manna.
