Wasn't it the same bath water.... Which Jesus had bathed in first. And Dismas' mother, realising that there was something special about Jesus and the holy family, had asked Mary if she could wash Dismas in also. I could be wrong, but that's what I remember reading
Several times in scripture Jesus asks the Apostles to Baptise in the name of the trinity. The Church also teaches there is a Baptism of Desire which is also valid ONLY if the person has no means to be Baptized. Like Dismas for example at the point of his conversion upon his death cross. We must obey Christ and the means He gave the Church and instructed us to follow. As far as the good thief not going through purgatory, he definitely was going through intense suffering which we could call his purgatory on earth. Perhaps it was enough for him to pass through the fire of Purgatory on his way to Paradise in one day.
I had a communication from my father after his death which made me think more about Purgatory. You can believe it or not but basically his voice audibly came to me about 3 hours after he died thanking me for my prayers and that he was with Jesus. The JOY in his voice was a contradiction to my feelings of grief and loss. I said "but Dad! Didn't you have to go to Purgatory?" He said that he had passed through that fire already! Back up 7 years when he got cancer, he started offering up all his suffering and really revved up his devotions by daily Rosary, Mass, Adoration, etc.. He wore the brown scapular and told me he was hoping to do his purgatory while on earth. So perhaps we can expiate many of our offences with suffering. I know my dad's suffering the last few years of his life was great, but he still lovingly offered it up....
Perhaps the answer to this last question is no because after the resurrection Jesus told Mary Magdalene not to touch him because he had not yet ascended to God the Father.
I do seem to vaguely remember this. I seem to remember that it might have been on the Flight into Egypt. Also, I think the families might have maintained a connection. I also seem to remember a mystical connection with Veronica and her veil.
I think a lot of writers suppose that Paradise is a kind of ante room or hallway to heaven. Where for instance folk from the Old Testament waited until Calvary
This is so encouraging to hear. When my son died I was so distressed because he had left the Church and become very worldly. I had prayed and prayed for him. I had Masses offered for him. His death was sudden (a helicopter crash) so you can imagine the pain i was feeling. I told a priest friend that morning"I will get through this if I know he is safe" Fr Jack told me to remember how powerful a mother's prayers are and not to worry. I stood in front of the Divine Mercy picture and begged Our Lady to stand with me at the foot of my cross. She did that and more! That night I had a dream. I was in a crowded station with people milling about and a woman was standing in front of me holding a baby all wrapped in white straps of cloth. I didn't see her face. I noticed the baby had casts on his legs and I said something banal like "I hope that works out all right" and she answered in a lovely voice "Oh yes. Its been very difficult. But it had to be done. But everything will be all right" She started to move away. The baby had hold of my finger and was squeezing very hard even as she walked away. I woke up still feeling the pressure of the baby's hand. With a gasp I remembered when my son was a new born he had to have casts on his legs!!! I told my sister of the dream and she said "that was the Blessed Mother." What consolation!! I had other signs during that time. The veil was very thin. I still have Masses said for him just in case he needs them but my dear friend who was in my opinion a saint and had many mystical gifts told me " he is with the Father" She didn't say it right off. She prayed. And then she said it with great confidence. God's mercy is truly above all His works. "No one who ever hoped in Me was disappointed" (Isaiah 49)
I wonder why he isn't a saint in the Catholic Church. If being a saint by most simple definition is one the church knows to be in heaven, wouldn't he be recognized by Jesus's own words. If anything, he is one that we 100% know for sure to be in heaven by Christ's own words. If anything, he was actually the very first saint in heaven. As for baptism in his case, baptism would not have been a true thing yet because only the baptizer was baptizing at the time and what Jesus said to John was what he was doing was right. Baptism as a sacrament though would have begun when the church truly began, which was at Pentecost. At least that is how I see it but may be wrong here. Finally for purgatory and the discussion of when he would have been in heaven. Jesus said, this day you will be with me in heaven but on that day Jesus went to the dead and hell and rose on the third day, so how was the good thief in heaven on the same day if Jesus wasn't even in heaven yet? To me this question is easily answered by our concept of time. We think of time as linear because we are in time and thus living it and time to us rather a day to us is 24 hours. Our minds can only think of time this way because we are participating in time. Heaven and I would assume purgatory and possibly even hell are outside of space, time and matter. Thus time would no longer be linear at death. The bible even tries to explain this to us by saying one day for God is like a thousand years for us. Purgatory for that matter possibly would not have existed at Christ's death either because the souls that passed before Christ's death and thus salvation to heaven, were in Abraham's bosom awaiting salvation from Christ. I would think that Christ going to them opened the gates of heaven and for that matter purgatory. To me, it is logical to think souls in Abraham's bosom still could have gone to purgatory in that moment before heaven as well. One last thought I ponder from time to time on the concept of things like "this day". In reality since heaven is outside of time and space you could say we all get there on the same day or at the same time. Very hard to wrap our heads around this because again we can only think of time as linear. It is very possible all of us even those who will go to purgatory will arrive at heaven after judgement at the exact same "time" if you will. Just a thought of mine.
The answer to the first question is clear. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Notice that the Church has remained faithful to the baptismal formula to this day, prefacing it with the words: I baptize you... Now Acts 2 uses the term "baptism in the name of Jesus Christ", but this distinguishes it from other baptisms like that of John the Baptist and does not refer to the baptismal formula itself.
My grandma had a similar situation and I know for a fact she is in heaven because she has come to me from heaven many times in dreams and has shared some things with me in dreams. But her death I have told often on here but it was a remarkable experience for myself and her. My grandmother suffered awful for the last month of her life in a nursing home. She had stopped eating and even drinking for the most part but lived about 28 days with no food and little water. The pain she endured was awful because of this. While in this period, she would be unconscious a lot and I would spend a lot of time at her bedside saying the rosary and other prayers. On two separate times during this period, I said to her an old prayer consecrating one to Jesus through Mary for the end of your life. This old prayer had claimed if you do this, Mary will come at death. On both occasions of me saying this prayer and her being unconscious, at the end of the prayer, her eyes opened and she sprung back to life and was my old grandmother just talking to me and smiling and visiting. The first time I said it was early in this period of suffering. The second time I said it was probably 3 days before she passed. The second time she sprung back to life, she asked me who is this woman in the room with me. I was in complete shock. Right after she became conscious again and said this while I was still in utter shock, my aunt came into the room to visit. My grandmother said to her now, who is this woman, she is so beautiful. My aunt started saying names of deceased loved ones asking her things like, "is it your mother", to which grandma said, "no," "is it your grandmother, your friend a relative," no no no. Finally I said to grandma, "is it the Blessed Mother?" She turned to me with the biggest smile and tears of joy and just shook her head and said, "yes and she is so so beautiful!" I knew then that grandma was in good hands and when she died, she would be taken to Jesus by the Blessed Mother. What a wonderful way to face your judgement by having mama there with you. Here is the consecration: Consecrating the Two Last Hours of Our Lives to the Most Holy Virgin (by Father Ildefonso M. Izaguirre, O.P.) Prostrated at thy feet and humiliated by my sins, but full of confidence in thee, O Mary, I beg thee to accept the petition my heart is going to make. It is for my last moments. Dear Mother, I wish to request thy protection and maternal love so that in the decisive instant thou wilt do all thy love can suggest in my behalf. To thee, O Mother of my soul, I consecrate the last two hours of my life. Come to my side to receive my last breath and when death has cut the thread of my days, tell Jesus—presenting to Him my soul—”I love it.” These words alone will be enough to procure for me the benediction of my God and the happiness of seeing thee for all eternity. I put my trust in thee, my Mother, and hope it will not be in vain. O Mary! Pray for thy child and lead me to Jesus! Amen. https://consecratedhearts.com/prayers/prayer-to-the-blessed-virgin-to-obtain-a-good-death/
I imagine that in the presence of the Holy Trinity, no creature of God remains without prostrating itself on the ground in adoration, while on other "levels,” we find our family and brothers of faith in paradise.
Beautiful.my mother also offered all her pains for everyone. I have no doubt she is in heaven but I still pray for her
Supposedly, when the Holy Family was traveling to Egypt, they encountered two thieves. One was St Dismas and the other was the other thief on Calvary with Jesus. Dismas is said to have bought off the other thief so the Holy Family would not be harmed. For some reason, I can’t download that link right now. And I believe St Dismas is an actual Saint in the Church. Maybe someone can find this.
Footnote from my 1961 Bible: Paradise: i.e. the abode of the just souls under the old dispensation, who were waiting in limbo for the coming of the Messias to lead them to heaven.
Andy, I had the “Holy Ghost chills” while I was reading this. What a beautiful help you provided to your grandmother and see how wonderful it turned out. Such a holy death.
Thank you. Yes I definitely feel like I helped grandma get to heaven but it wasn't all me and really it was only about 5% my doing. It is a shared victory because of all of you here at this wonderful place in cyberspace. My grandma is who made me love the church and love Jesus and Mary as a boy. She is what kept my faith for so many years. My parents were not good at being Catholic and they rarely took us to mass. They felt I got mass on Fridays at school and that was good enough. In 7th grade they moved me to a public school and really my faith was slowly lost because church became Christmas and Easter only. Fast forward many many years to 2013, I began to find my faith again and thus it brought me here. You all taught me so so much and I became on fire. I didn't have anyone to share this fire with in my personal life unfortunately, so I would share all my new found love and knowledge from this forum with my grandma. Before she got really ill in 2015, one day she said to me, that she had lost her love and faith for so so many years and I brought it back to her. What a wonderful turn of events in life and wonderful gift to now give her like she once did for me. It was also from this family that this consecration prayer came to me. So it was all of you that helped get my grandmother to heaven. Now I hope and pray, that once again it is my grandmother now, along with all of you who will help me get there.
