St. Peter Canisius and the Good Thief
St. Peter Canisius, The Great Catechism: “Now, it is never too late for us to do penance, as the example of the Good Thief proves, who, already on the cross and with only a breath of life remaining, obtained from Jesus Christ the full pardon of his crimes and the assurance of heavenly glory.” 1
St. Peter Canisius, The Great Catechism: “Ibidem, canon 25 (or rather, the conclusion of the twenty-five dogmatic canons of this council):
“We also profess to believe that, in all our good works, it is not we who begin, in order then to be helped by the mercy of God; but rather, it is He Himself who, without any preceding merit on our part, first inspires us with faith in Him and with love for Him, moving us to seek the sacrament of Baptism, and giving us the strength, after receiving baptism, to accomplish, with His help, the things that are pleasing to Him. From this it clearly follows that we must believe that the faith of the good thief, called back by the Lord to the heavenly homeland, as well as that of the centurion Cornelius, to whom the angel of the Lord was sent, and that of Zacchaeus, who was deemed worthy to receive the Lord in person, did not come from nature, but from the pure goodness of God.” 2