Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I think other famous imperfect saints
could include the irascible Jerome!
Bro Thomas
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask] [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2000 2:33 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: saints
>
> In a message dated 01/16/2000 9:30:04 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> > I'm not aware that the church has ever taught that the saints were
> perfect,
> > except for Mary. One immediately thinks of Peter's denial of Jesus.
> It's
> > certainly an imperfection on an apostle's part to deny the Lord and one
> > hardly deniable on the church's part.
> >
> > Bro Thomas
>
> Thank you, Bro Thomas. I was thinking of Augustine's Confessions, but your
>
> example is better. Peter, who denies the Lord and becomes the first Pope,
> always reminds me of Aaron, who makes the Golden Calf but becomes High
> Priest
> of Israel. I always understood both stories to mean that there are no
> perfect
> human beings (except as you've noted Mary), and even those elevated to the
>
> highest religious post will have some kind of imperfection that has to be
> called to the reader's attention. It's a call to humility, maybe, to
> remembering that only God is perfect. When I was young, the story of
> Aaron
> confused me. I couldn't understand why a person who had done something
> wrong
> would be chosen as the high priest. Both stories are very nuanced. One
> has
> to think about them.
>
> pat sloane
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|