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.