| Saint
Dismas
Patron Saint of Prisoners
"All that is known of St. Dismas is that he is the Good Thief crucified with
Christ on Calvary. The other thief is known as Gestas. An
unsubstantiated myth from the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy that enjoyed great
popularity in the West during the Middle Ages had two thieves who held up the
Holy Family on the way to Egypt. St. Dismas bought off Gestas with forty drachmas
to leave them unmolested, whereupon the Infant predicted that they would be crucified
with Him in Jerusalem, and that St. Dismas would accompany Him to Paradise.
Prayer to St. Dismas
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."
Prayer
to St. Dismas
Dear St. Dismas, you cooperated with the grace that was
yours in suffering the same fate as the Divine Master. You repented for your sins
and believed, and you heard the Savior say: "Today you will be with me in
paradise." Obtain for prisoners the same grace to repent of their wicked
ways, and obtain the same reward, eternal life with Christ. Amen. | 
