The Penitent Sinner

And he said to Jesus: Remember me, Lord, when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him: Verily, I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise." — Luke xxiii. 42, 43.

There was a man who lived in the world for seventy years, and all that time he lived a life of sin. And this man fell sick, and he did not repent. And when death came, in his last hour, he burst into tears and said: “Lord, forgive me as Thou forgavest the thief on the cross!” Scarce had he succeeded in saying this when his soul departed. And the soul of the sinner loved God and believed in His mercy, and came to the doors of heaven.

And the sinner began to knock and beg to be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven.

And he heard a voice behind the door saying: “What man is this that knocketh at the door of Heaven, and what deeds hath he done in his lifetime?”

And the voice of the Accuser answered, and counted up all the sinful deeds of this man. And he named no good deeds at all.

And the voice behind the door answered: “Sinners cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Depart hence!”

And the man said: “My Lord! I hear thy voice, but thy face I do not see, and thy name I know not.”

And the voice answered: “I am Peter the Apostle.”

And the sinner said: “Have pity upon me, Peter the Apostle, and be mindful of human weakness and the mercy of God. Wert not thou a disciple of Christ; didst thou not hear His teaching from His very lips and see the example of His life? And remember — when He was afflicted and tormented in spirit, and begged thee three times not to sleep but to pray, thou didst sleep because thine eyes were heavy, and three times He found thee sleeping. And so it hath been with me.

“And remember, too, how thou didst promise Him not to deny Him even unto death, and how thou didst thrice deny Him when they brought Him before Caiaphas. And so it hath been with me.

“And remember, too, how the cock crew, and thou didst depart and weep bitterly. So it hath been with me. Thou can'st not but let me in.”

And the voice behind the door of Paradise was silent

And after no very long delay the sinner again began to knock at the door and ask to be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven.