SAINTS: WARTS AND ALL

 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Saints: Warts and All.”

I was wondering if you have heard the expression: “warts and all”.

A wart is a hardened raised bit of skin or tiny lump.  The dictionary describes it as something that is unpleasant and unattractive.

The saying “warts and all”  means we all have our imperfections – our negative stuff – our weaknesses or what have you.

This is me with a pimple or a wart on my nose. Will you still love me?

SAINTS LIVES A CENTURY AGO
 
I was brought up with the idea you only wrote about a Saint’s virtues.

You didn’t mention their warts or negatives.

Then after 1950 or sometime there people wrote about saints and their weaknesses and their warts – as well as their wonderful qualities.

I heard that Padre Pio could make some hurting comments to some people.
I like it that saints are real – not that they make mistakes – but that they can make mistakes and still become saints.

I think a lot of people liked it when they read that Mother Teresa had struggles with darkness and faith. Don’t we all at times? Don’t we all?

I worked with a Redemptorist who told Mother Teresa off a few times – for being too strict and unbending at times.

To me that makes her real.

I liked reading Ida Gorres book on St. Therese, the Little Flower. The book was called The Hidden Face.  Ida Gorres  saw a photograph of St. Therese in a full religious habit and the picture was rejected. When Ida Gorres saw that picture and the pictures her convent wanted – and compared them, she wanted to see who the person in the photograph really was.

So she did the research and in her book, The Hidden Face, we get to know Therese Martin a lot more.  Therese had to deal with personality differences. She found out her sister Pauline cut some stuff out of her sister’s autobiography and also made some insertions. That made Therese and her sisters more real to me.
There weren’t major dishonest changes – but they helped me know Therese better. Her feast is tomorrow.

TODAY’S FEAST
 
Today’s feast is that of  Saint Jerome.

Pope Francis put out a document today - on the 1600 anniversary of the death of St. Jerome. It's called, "Scripturae Sacrae Affectus" - "Devotion to Sacred Scripture" [September 30, 2020.] The pope urges us to read the scriptures as Jerome did.

Here's a painting by Caravaggio of Jerome:

Now Jerome has always been known as a character.
In his letters we find out that those who had his stuff – letters – and comments – and experiences and meetings with him – were not scared to save what they saved – and tell others about him.

Jerome had his struggles with lust and impatience. He told it as it is.

You get him “warts and all”.

He made comments about women and their make-up. He criticized priests for their only concern being their clothes.

He had some close women friends and he had to deal with gossip and calumny about his relationships – especially with Paula.

He had quite a life – traveling everywhere – doing everything.

At one time there he  was secretary to Pope Damasus in Rome for three years – but as soon as Pope Damasus died in 384 – many people wanted him out of Rome  because of his sharp tongue and sandpaper personality.

CONCLUSION
 
Would he be made a saint today – warts and all? Hypothetical question.  We’ll never know.  Yet, Jerome certainly  made life interesting.