Did the saints have defects?
With the logical exception of the Lord and the Blessed Virgin, all saints had defects.
We could see the temperamental defects of St. Therésè de Lisieux. Many consider her to be an extremely delicate and childish woman. However, this is what his mother wrote: "She is almost invincibly stubborn.
When she says no, there is no human power that can make her change her mind; even if we put her in the darkroom for a whole day, she would rather sleep in it than say yes."
She was a mischievous, restless, boisterous girl, like so many other girls. Yet over the years, we will see her on the altars.
We can imagine the converted, enthusiastic, and brilliant Saint Augustine as an extraordinary orator, and he must have been. However, it is also recorded that he was very heavy in Catechesis; at least boring enough for part of the auditorium to leave. That is what he said.
We admit all kinds of temptations and battles in the interior life of holy souls. We recognize their errors, but we must not fall into the position of his contemporaries, who, in the fifth century, defended the impossibility of Saint Augustine professing the truth because he had been a great sinner.
St. Augustine, like so many others, had certainly been a great sinner, but later he would follow the authentic path to return to his Father's house, where there is light, love, and truth.
We see that many saints were fickle, boastful, had little faith, were reckless, distrustful, and exhibited attitudes that implied a lack of love at times. Yet they became saints..., because they rectified and persevered. Among the Apostles, only one went away. And he ended badly.
To be effective, we are all asked to persevere in the struggle; this is what authentic holiness consists of. Interior life is manifested in the love of God, in the service to one's neighbor, in lending a hand to those in need, and in overlooking the small defects of relatives or neighbors that provoke us to get irritated.
Holiness does not consist in standing on a pedestal holding a palm in one's hand. Saints must not remain inactive. We have to move, worry about a brother's illness, be careful so that the food doesn't stick to the pan, participate in elections, and talk to your children's teachers.
These are the saints of today, who go on the "subway", pray to the Virgin, work in the fields, use a computer, rest for a weekend with their loved ones and return to work on Monday mornings to do what they always do, what they do every week, what they do all year round. They take care that everything you do today – communion, work, service...– is done with a little more love, affection, fervor than was done yesterday.
Let us not lose hope. If we have fallen – like the saints – let us also try to imitate them, getting up at once. Let's renew ourselves in love. We need it. Today is a good day to say to God: Now I begin! Perhaps we hadn't told him this for a long time. We still have a long way to go. Now I begin!
Nov 11 Tue