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Wednesday 13 August 2014

Why The Church Is Weak Three

I may not be able to blog or be online today. The Net here is literally on and off, in seconds and in minutes. Apologies for interruptions.

Many years ago, for several years, I taught the Confessions of St. Augustine. I am now re-reading his text. The book is an examination of the soul, mind, memory and imagination of a man becoming a saint.

He is clear about his predominant faults and his neglect of his spiritual life for so many years. The list of this pre-saint's sin is staggering: lust, pride, curiosity, wastefulness of time, spiritual sloth, anger, heresy, and so on.

I have actually, heard from the mouths of priests, that St. Augustine was too hard on himself.

This type of mind-set is extremely dangerous.  It completely misses the point of the sharing of the purgation of one of the greatest saints of all time.

As I was reading about the conversion of St. Augustine, I was struck by the fact that a holy priest and bishop brought this great sinner, saint-to-be, into the Church. St. Ambrose was, perhaps, the most holy man of his day. It takes a saint to lead a saint.

Pray for saintly priests and bishops today.