Either way, the exchange between the thief and Jesus do not preclude Purgatory
That’s a good point…one which I hadn’t given a lot of thought to personally until reading your post.
I can’t help thinking personally that if Dismas (traditionally the name we ascribe to the good thief) did visit Purgatory, it would have had to barely qualify as a visit…working from what we know :
Luke 23: 39-46 [NAB]
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal."
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon
because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.
Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last.
The degree of our sorrow or contrition for our sins, if deep enough, can remove all temporal punishment due to sin. Here are two snippets from the CCC:
1492
Repentance (also called contrition) must be inspired by motives that arise from faith. If repentance arises from love of charity for God, it is called “perfect” contrition; if it is founded on other motives, it is called “imperfect.”
If it wasn’t love or compassion for our Lord which caused Dismas to speak thus, making his plea fall so sweetly on divine ears amidst all the insults, jeering and blasphemies…perhaps, due to a glance into the eyes of Him Crucified which would have changed everything… then what else could it have been ?
1452
When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.
Some propose that St. Peter may have had access (primacy ?) to the first sacramental Confession [John 21: 7-11] within the chronological context of the birth of the Church - following the life , death and resurrection of Our Lord. If that be so, it becomes difficult not to consider the exchange between Our crucified Lord and the crucified Dismas as a precursor, just prior to the consummation of the Sacrifice. We may recall here that Jesus also forgave sins (the parlytic, the woman caught in adultery) during his public life prior to His Crucifixion.
Writers refer to him as the penitent thief, or the repentant thief [sometimes the good thief]. He recieves salvation through the crucified Christ.
It would appear, from what can be read :
- He had a fear(respect) of God
- He acknowledged his debt which had to be paid to justice…and had accepted it.
- (I find this next one fascinating) He knew Jesus had done nothing wrong/criminal.
- He was, at that point, humble … he only asked to be remembered.
Bishop Fulton Sheen, in his book
The Seven Last Words asks, “May we say the good thief died a thief - because he stole Heaven ?”
I prefer to think that, being such a good thief , he would have stole Heaven entirely… without having to make any detours.
