“Today, you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43) | EXPLAINED | 2nd Word from the Cross

When our Blessed Lord proclaimed this second word from the Cross, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

Who was the “you” He was speaking to?

It was the thief, right? That man who was condemned to a horrible and shameful death… That man who was considered a worthless derelict in the eyes of the world… That man who had cursed and blasphemed the Saviour of the world just moments before he had a change of heart and said “Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42)… Yeah.

When Our Blessed Lord said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise,” He was speaking to that man!

Amazing, isn’t it…

“Amidst the clamour of the raving crowd and the dismal universal hiss of sin, in all that delirium of man’s revolt against God, Our Blessed Lord recognized the thief’s cry of repentance and honoured his faith with the divine promise: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

And the thief still died a thief, Fulton Sheen said, for he stole paradise!

But there is more…

The thief can also be you and me.

Regardless of what we have done in our past, if we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, confess our sins and cry out to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42), we too will receive forgiveness of our sins and hear the divine promise when we receive Holy Communion: “Today, You will be with me in paradise.”

Friends, Jesus does not ask us to be perfect but penitent. Go to the Sacrament of Confession. Admit the wrong you have done. Repent of your sinfulness and cry out to Him to remember you in your misery and to be your Saviour. His response of merciful love will always be infinitely greater than our sinful past.

And like the good thief some 2,000 years ago, we too will die thieves one day, for we will steal paradise!