How Could I Forget…Dismas!

    I am aware that the Sacred Season of this Easter week takes precedence over the feast days in honor of the saints, but I cannot forget, and must share my personal love and gratitude for my beloved brother, Saint Dismas, the good thief.

    When I was a teen, many who knew me then can testify to my conversion, as I have stated before , I was amongst the very worst of sinners who got confirmed in 1996 by our beloved St. Dominic Parish…How bad was I?, I use to drive my stolen cars to confirmation class and park them in the parish parking lot. At the end of my 1st year retreat, I got into it with our beloved Sr. Benilda over the confiscation of some contraband, nearly throwing her to the ground. I completely missed out on my 2nd year retreat due to having to serve some time in juvenile hall. A ‘tag-banger’, a drug dealer/druggy, a car thief/ burglar, highschool dropout. How was it that I got confirmed, trust me, the attempt was made to keep me from receiving the sacrament, but somehow I guess I was able to fool them. Why did I even care? Basically for the fact that I wasn’t going to let the church waste those two years of my life. Well for all who have and will be receiving the Sacrament, you know that we’re asked to pick a saint. Searching through a book of patron saints I found St. Dismas, patron of reformed thieves. I wasn’t sure if the church truly held him as a saint, I asked and no one seemed to know the same. Well I took a risk and stuck with him. So there I was in red as I approached the bishop and heard the words, “Dismas, receive the Holy Spirit.” There was only one thing I took with me from my two years at Confirmation, and that was St. Dismas.

    I don’t wish to lay out my entire conversion story here in writing, though it has been shared and heard several times amongst my friends at the SDYM Confirmation team, as well as ‘confirmandi’ who took for themselves Dismas as their patron. I will share the specific influence his life had on mine. Realizing my life at a dead end I remembered and took hope in the words of Jesus to my beloved Dismas, “Assuredly I say to you, This Day You Shall Be With Me In PARADISE!” I sought  death as the only way out of my miserable life. Yet I feared the chance of Hell but found hope in Christ’s mercy, especially the mercy he showed to Dismas. This all lead to the ultimate point of my conversion, my most treasured experience, God’s favor to grant to me a personal revelation of his very real existence, and St. Dismas was the one God sent to prep and guide me to that point. I was 18 years old , since then I have witnessed the progression of the promise God made me back then. I have received an abundance of blessing, and an outpouring of Sanctifying Grace. God has given me so much, both of this world and of heaven, the greatest being Himself, and I attribute it all to him who interceeded on my behalf, my beloved St. Dismas.

      A good for nothing loser, like my dear friend Dismas, found truth in the words of Jesus, “Don’t worry about what you will eat, or what you will drink, or what you will wear. Don’t worry about what you will do for tomorrow, instead seek out the Kingdom of Heaven and all these things will be added onto you.”…”Jesus, Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Glorious Saint Dismas, you alone of all the great Penitent Saints were directly canonized by Christ Himself; you were assured of a place in Heaven with Him “this day” because of the sincere confession of your sins to Him in the tribunal of Calvary and your true sorrow for them as you hung beside Him in that open confessional; you who by the direct sword thrust of your love and repentance did open the Heart of Jesus in mercy and forgiveness even before the centurion’s spear tore it asunder; you whose face was closer to that of Jesus in His last agony, to offer Him a word of comfort, closer even than that of His Beloved Mother, Mary; you who knew so well how to pray, teach me the words to say to Him to gain pardon and the grace of perseverance; and you who are so close to Him now in Heaven, as you were during His last moments on earth, pray to Him for me that I shall never again desert Him, but that at the close of my life I may hear from Him the words He addressed to you: “This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.”AMEN.