Saint/Sinner quotes

The only difference between a saint and a sinner is that the saint has a past and the sinner has a future. | Oscar Wilde
For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness. We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is ‘icon,’ ‘star,’ ‘hero,’ ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves. | Joan D. Chittister in A Passion for Life
I am reminded of the biblical use of the term saint in the book of Acts. That it applies to each of us. All who are attempting to imitate the Christ in their lives merit the title of ‘saint.’ Some do it more fully than others and are willing to let go of more to get the job done. | Matthew Fox in Confessions
Saints are saints, not because they are ‘good,’ but because they are transparent for something that is more than they themselves are. | Paul Tillich
The challenge of the saints of the twenty-first century is to begin again to comprehend the sacred in the ten thousand things of our world; to reverence what we have come to view as ordinary and devoid of spirit. | Edward Hays in Secular Sanctity
Keep in mind that our community is not composed of those who are already saints, but of those who are trying to become saints. Therefore let us be extremely patient with each other’s faults and failures. | Mother Teresa quoted in No Greater Love edited by Becky Benenate and Joseph Durepos
All of the places of our lives are sanctuaries; some of them just happen to have steeples. And all of the people in our lives are saints; it is just that some of them have day jobs and most will never have feast days named for them. | Robert Benson in Between the Dreaming and the Coming True
To be a saint is to be fuelled by gratitude, nothing more and nothing less. | Ronald rolheiser OMI, The Holy Longing: The search for a Christian spirituality
A saint is the person who wills the one thing. | Søren Kierkegaard

"re-blogged" from A-Mused (31 October 2011)'cause I want to think about it later.
(bold print ... me playing with this pile of words as I think about these ideas)


The only difference between a saint and a sinner is that the saint has a past and the sinner has a future. | Oscar Wilde

For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness. We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is ‘icon,’ ‘star,’ ‘hero,’ ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves. | Joan D. Chittister in A Passion for Life

I am reminded of the biblical use of the term saint in the book of Acts. That it applies to each of us. All who are attempting to imitate the Christ in their lives merit the title of ‘saint.’ Some do it more fully than others and are willing to  to let go of more to get the job done. | Matthew Fox in Confessions

Saints are saints, not because they are ‘good,’ but because they are transparent for something that is more than they themselves are. | Paul Tillich

The challenge of the saints of the twenty-first century is to begin again to comprehend the sacred in the ten thousand things of our world; to reverence what we have come to view as ordinary and devoid of spirit. | Edward Hays in Secular Sanctity

Keep in mind that our community is not composed of those who are already saints, but of those who are trying to become saints. Therefore let us be extremely patient with each other’s faults and failures. | Mother Teresa quoted in No Greater Love edited by Becky Benenate and Joseph Durepos

All of the places of our lives are sanctuaries; some of them just happen to have steeples. And all of the people in our lives are saints; it is just that some of them have day jobs and most will never have feast days named for them. | Robert Benson in Between the Dreaming and the Coming True

To be a saint is to be fuelled by gratitude, nothing more and nothing less. | Ronald rolheiser OMI, The Holy Longing: The search for a Christian spirituality

A saint is the person who wills the one thing. | Søren Kierkegaard