Fr. Jack Collins, a Paulist priest, asks passersby what they know about the saints, and the answer is: almost nothing at all. It's from Bustedhalo.com's series "You Don't Know Jack." There's one guy at the end who seems to know a little, but he looks rather shady.
James Martin, SJ
The Saint here looks too much like a modern liberal to be taken seriously.There is no mention of relationship with God or with his living presence ,Jesus Christ.For a Muslim or Buddhist it may be different but if it is not a falling in love what is it but a voluntarism set towards percieved good ends.
A person who places the invisible factor of reality at the top of reality,without negating the other factors,this for me is a Saint.At times it may coincide with a liberal at times with a conservative at times but that is merely accidental.
Otto said that the holy is nebulous but anybody who has met with a Saint would also disagree with that . A Saint can be more concrete than a spreadsheet and I have met enough to know.
This will not recieve more than ten comments but if the question had been "Can a Gay be a Saint?" we would reach 70 easily.
The question should be open.What is a Saint ?Is not the same as what is the capital of France? and in the end the answer will be a lot more important
I think we must have two visions of St Francis.
I am interested in the inner man,and dont consider every act to be motivated
by human goodness.The heresy I am speaking of is moralism and anybody
who has read the life of St Francis would not place him in that category.
Cause and effect ,what should we study first?
Despite your waspish remark the question remains open.
Tell us Ed ,what is a Saint?
If it a question of jotting up the good deeds well then we are
in for a long one.
Gleason like Power is an Irish surname, as is Martin.
Heresy indeed.