Are you listening, St. Dimas?

A new friend of mine, who shall for the present remain nameless, recently gave me a beautiful rosary to intercede for my family.

This same friend also gently suggested that I ask St. Dimas for a bit of celestial intervention. Now, this was an unfamiliar name, and so a little research was in order. I came across this post by Lance Mannion, which offered the following explanation:

Dimas is the patron saint of thieves.  He is not their patron saint the way St Anthony is the patron saint of lost items.  You pray to St Anthony to help you find something you’ve misplaced, like when your car keys have gone missing.  You don’t pray to St Dimas to help you pull off a heist.  You pray to him when your conscience is bothering you and you want to go straight.  Which is why all of us can pray to him, not just those of us who have trouble with the notion of private property.  All of us need to give up our lives of crime and go straight.

St. Dimas, it turns out, was the “good thief” who was crucified with Christ, whom the Lord promised would be “this day with me in paradise.” He is the patron of those who have lost their way . . . and want to find their way back to the narrow road. Somehow, it fits.

St. Dimas, as you left this world for a much better one, the last faces you saw were the compassionate visage of Christ and his sorrowful mother. Remember my family to this family of God, that the Spirit of God would light our path and guide us safely to our eternal home. Lead us to the Blessed Mother who always takes us to her Son.

Who is your favorite “go-to” saint when you feel “under fire”?

Photo credit: St. Dimas by Lu Bro at “Bridge Building Images”