While it's obvious that penitence can be closely
> allied
> to other virtues, to asceticism, and to distinctively Christian
> behavior,
> I'm not convinced that medieval Christians viewed it as the or a main
> criterion for sanctity. In the case of St. Joseph, for example, much
> eventually is said about his virile strength, his chastity, his
> humility,
> and his love for Jesus, but as his cult developed no extant texts
> appear to
> highlight his penitence for his sins--rather, various texts imply
> that he
> was largely sinless.
Quite right; and of course, this criterion fails entirely in the case
of Mary, who is believed to have been totally without sin.
Oriens.
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