"Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Listen to the words of Pope Francis as he reflects on this scene. "Whereas all the others treat Jesus with disdain – 'If you are the Christ, the Messiah King, save yourself by coming down from the cross!' – the thief who went astray in his life but now repents, clings to the crucified Jesus and begs him: 'Remember me, when you come into your kingdom' (Lk 23:42). Jesus promises him: 'Today you will be with me in paradise' (v. 43), in his kingdom. Jesus speaks only a word of forgiveness, not of condemnation; whenever anyone finds the courage to ask for this forgiveness, the Lord does not let such a petition go unheard. Today we can all think of our own history, our own journey. Each of us has his or her own history: we think of our mistakes, our sins, our good times and our bleak times. We would do well, each one of us, on this day, to think about our own personal history, to look at Jesus and to keep telling him, sincerely and quietly: “Remember me, Lord, now that you are in your kingdom! Jesus, remember me, because I want to be good, but I just don’t have the strength: I am a sinner, I am a sinner. But remember me, Jesus! You can remember me because you are at the centre, you are truly in your kingdom!” How beautiful this is! Let us all do this today, each one of us in his or her own heart, again and again. “Remember me, Lord, you who are at the center, you who are in your kingdom”.