Texts I have read say that Peter's courage, but not his faith, failed.
Tom Izbicki
On Sun, 16 Jan 2000 [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 08:28:52 -0600
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: RE: saints
>
> 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
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [log in to unmask] [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> > Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 2:27 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: saints
> >
> > In a message dated 01/14/2000 12:11:02 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> > [log in to unmask] writes:
> >
> > > My own plea to return to a discussion of medieval religion was prompted
> > by
> > > this remark in one of the messages: "Because the Church needs to be
> > seen as
> > > perfect, it simply cannot admit ANY wrongdoing of its saints. That is
> > one
> > > reason why it has little credibility in the rest of the world." I have
> > no
> > > problem with a discussion of John Chrysostom on the Jew nor even
> > reflections
> > > on their relationship to 20th century infelicities.
> > >
> > > Thomas Sullivan, OSB
> > >
> >
> > Fr. Sullivan,
> >
> > I always thought the claim of your respondent was a popular fallacy rather
> >
> > than an article of faith--that the Church does not actually claim the
> > saints
> > are perfect, although many people erroneously believe that this is what
> > the
> > Church teaches.
> >
> > Could somebody please clarify the theology, or the logic? I'm not
> > interested
> > in whether the saints are perfect, but in whether the Church ever made
> > belief
> > in the perfection of the saints any kind of article of faith. My guess is
> >
> > that the Church didn't do this or wouldn't do this. If one believes that
> > only
> > God is perfect, it's too illogical to attribute perfection to the saints.
> > It
> > elevates them to the level of God, which in turn conflicts with the
> > proposition that there is only one God.
> >
> > Sorry to sound like a warmed-over scholastic, but hope people see the
> > point.
> > It's certainly a very medieval point. Many of Dante's saints make small
> > mistakes in what they say in the Commedia. Not everyone agrees with me
> > that
> > this is of any importance. I think it's Dante's way of reminding us that
> > only
> > God is perfect, that no human being--not even a saint--can be perfect.
> > And
> > I'd regard that, in turn, as a very pious, orthodox, Catholic point for
> > him
> > to be making.
> >
> > pat sloane
>
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|