The Meaning of Saint Dismas

Sometimes, in a reflective mood, I wonder what final words I would hope to hear before the Lord calls me home. The answer I return to is: “This day you shall be with Me in paradise!” Those, of course, are the consoling words of Jesus on the cross to the thief on the cross to His right. Not a bad meditation this Lent, as Holy Week and Easter near.

We actually don’t know the name of the “good thief.” Tradition, dating back 1,500 years, calls him “Dismas.” Often do I look at his icon to the right of the crucifix while stumbling through prayers in my little oratory at home.