The penitent thief asks Jesus to remember him when he begins to reign. He is right away welcomed into paradise with Christ.

When we hear the word paradise, invariably we think of a place where joy and fulfillment abound. The garden of Eden was a paradise that was lost when Adam and Eve sinned and were driven out of the garden. Our world is far from an edenic paradise, and so we tend to think of paradise being up in the heavens, somewhere that is not here.

Do we, then, need to await death to enter paradise? We get a clue in the words of Jesus. Jesus tells the thief that he will be with him in paradise. Yes, when one is with Jesus, he or she is indeed in paradise. By taking on human flesh, the Word has come to dwell among us (see John 1:14). In the book of Revelation, John proclaims, “See, the home of God is among mortals” (Rev. 21:3).

This means that paradise is a daily possibility for us. Paradise is ours if we are willing to enter it with humility, accepting the gracious offer of God through Christ.

Every time we pray to Christ, “Remember me,” we are in God’s paradise. So let us begin each day with this prayer. Christ’s presence with us can turn every day into a heavenly fulfilling day.