The Life of the Good Thief

By Timothy J. Finnegan

Sundown was fast approaching. Because of this, the handful of spectators that remained were lobbying the soldiers to perform Crurifragium. They wanted the legs of the prisoners broken while they still hung on the cross. This would speed up the dying of the two men still alive, Dismas and Gestas. Though criminals, their bodies still need burying before the Sabbath according to Jewish law.Hanging lifelessly on the cross, Jesus was spared Crurifragium. The brutality that littered Jesus' path to the cross was swiftly ended as the Roman soldier slid the tip of his spear between his 5th and 6th ribs, straight into his heart. Prior to striking him the Soldier proclaimed somewhat mockingly, "In the name of Pontius Pilate, I strike this shepherd, and the sheep shall be dispersed." Dismas and Gestas were still alive, but unconscious. Using the same hammer that the soldiers initially used to secure the crosses, their legs were struck just above the knee at the weakest point in the leg. Given the condition of his body, Dismas' femur cracked in two without much effort. He did not, or maybe could not, flinch. The soft crack, like a bow snapping in a strong wind, could be heard by those close to the thief. The soldier who swung the hammer could taste bile in his throat after hearing the leg break. First the right leg then the left. Because Dismas took it upon himself to defend Jesus, his legs were broken first.He never woke again.Not much is known or written about St. Dismas, despite being a major figure in the crucifixion of Christ. How did one man go from being an innocent, happy child to one of the most violent and feared criminals of his time? Only to be put death so gruesomely? And after a lifetime of murder and thievery, Dismas' redemption in the final seconds of his life are unmatched. Not only is he now recognized as a Saint in the Catholic Church, he is the only saint to be canonized by Jesus himself.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1973534606
• ISBN13: 9781973534600
• Release Date: December 2017
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"