Saint of March 25: San Dimas. Catholic Santoral

Every March 25, the Church reminds San Dimas, the ‘Good Thief’, considered “the first saint” of the history of the Church. He was crucified in the Gólgota next to Jesus Christ, whom he recognized as the Son of God. His memory coincides with the solemnity of the announcement of the Lord.

Dimas, unlike the other crucified thief, implored Jesus: “Remember me when you reach your kingdom”, to which the Lord replied: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk 23, 39-43).

Dimas in tradition

Little is known about the life of San Dimas. The same writing does not abound in details and only appears in the story of San Lucas about the crucifixion. However, the apocryphal text called Nicodemus gospel brings some interesting details that tradition has preserved.

For example, there appears the name ‘Dimas’ -in the Bible -, which is called ‘good thief’. In addition, it is pointed out that it was placed to the right of Christ, while on his left was ‘Gestas’, the ‘bad thief’, also crucified.

In the apocryphal gospel called Protoevangelio de Santiago, the following testimony of Joseph of Arimea on the good thief is collected:

“The second (…) was called Dimas; it was of Galileo origin and possessed a inn. He docked the rich, but the poor favored them. Even though he was a thief, he looked like Tobias, because he used to bury the dead.

He was devoted to the mob of the Jews; He stole the books of the law in Jerusalem, left Caifás’s daughter naked, who was at the time priestess of the sanctuary, and even subtracted the secret deposit placed by Solomon. Such were his misdeed. ”

According to the Arabic Gospel of the childhood of Jesus – another apocryphal text – in reality, another name. In that story the thieves were ‘Tito’ and ‘Dumaco’. Tito, who would be the good thief, would have prevented other sauters like him to steal the Holy Family when he fled to Egypt.

Dimas in the Gospel

In the stories of the crucifixion of the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew, it is said that Jesus, being crucified, was the target of insults, affronts and teasing from the crowd, the Roman soldiers and the teachers of the Jewish law.

He was barely accompanied by a disciple, John, the Virgin Mary and some other women. Only Lucas’s story describes the intervention of thieves with precision:

“One of the crucified malefactors insulted him, saying: ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.’ Remember me when you reach your kingdom. ‘

It is never too late

It is clear that Saint Dimas, the good thief, recognized, in an act of true faith, the Son of God. Having done so immediately led him to humble his sin, and ask for mercy.

Dimas had been transformed by the presence of God, becoming irrefutable of the innocence of Christ. It is known stained by his faults, while he sees that in Jesus there is no lack. At the same time, it stops thinking about the “salvation” offered by the world -it does not ask them to get off the cross; No, certainly. What he wants now is to go to heaven: at the end of his existence he has looked at the transcendent.

Therefore, Jesus, moved, will make him the greatest of all promises: “I really tell you: today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk 23, 43).

The offender who confessed before the Lord: a sure saint

Dimas was never “canonized” formally by the Church. He is told among the Saints because he has been the only person to whom Jesus Christ explicitly assured that he would be in heaven, sharing his glory.

While there is no certainty about his name, there is about his destiny. That he has lived as a thief or criminal and then welcomed the mercy of the Lord, ends up being a source of inspiration and hope for all the children of the Church, because we are sinners.

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