Saints with sinful pasts

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child_of_God85

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I’m trying to find names of saints that had sinful pasts. I know someone (not a friend) that does not believe that once a person sins they can be redeamed. So I’m trying to find info on saints that had sinful pasts to prove that every sinner can be redeamed.
 
All of the saints had sinful pasts of course- except for Mary.

You can start with St. Paul who was a murderer, and St. Peter who denied Christ thrice.
 
Kielbasi said:
All of the saints had sinful pasts of course- except for Mary.

You can start with St. Paul who was a murderer, and St. Peter who denied Christ thrice.
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I didn’t even think of them. I know every saint has a sinnful past, but I’m talking about really bad pasts. I know I’ve read about a few, but their names are evading me at the moment. I though one of the Augestines might’ve been real rebel in his younger days.
 
I did a more extensive online search and came up with quite a few good examples. I think I’ll actually write a paper on it and then let the guy read it. I’ll be able to put more detail into it.
 
Kielbasi said:
All of the saints had sinful pasts of course- except for Mary.

You can start with St. Paul who was a murderer, and St. Peter who denied Christ thrice.
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I didn’t think that we regard Mary as a saint. She’s in a different category, I believe.

Right now, St. Thomas More comes to mind. He killed lots and lots of people. But in the end he ended up dying for the faith.
 
Hard to top Bl. Bartolo Longo. He was a high priest in a satanic cult.
 
child_of_God85 said:
I’m trying to find names of saints that had sinful pasts. I know someone (not a friend) that does not believe that once a person sins they can be redeamed. So I’m trying to find info on saints that had sinful pasts to prove that every sinner can be redeamed.
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Of course, all the saints were sinners. St. Augustine of Hippo was, in his younger years, perhaps one of the most well known. He was a womanizer as well as a follower of Manichæism. Thanks be to God that he had his mother, St. Monica, who prayed for him day after day. God answered her prayers and he returned to the faith with a great Zeal, becoming one of the most famous of the Early Church Fathers as well as a Doctor of the Church.
 
What about all the ‘magdalens’ etc. Also, Dismas…or is it Gestas…the Good thief. Bad life as an evil-doer, sudden conversion riiiiiight at the end hanging on his cross. Gospel evidence that he’s in heaven!
 
St Mary Magdalene.

St Augustine (who, as a young man, set out to deliberately break all of the 10 Commandments).

St Ignatius of Loyola…He was a real "tough cookie’’ in his youth; only the injury that kept him bedridden, with no reading materiel, got him to finally start reading the only books he was offered–lives of the saints, prayer books, the Scriptures. He experienced a conversion & founded the Jesuits.

The thief on the cross next to Christ.

St Paul (:eek: terrorist…no other word for it).

All the apostles (except St John), who deserted Our Lord when He was arrested & crucified.

And really, you know, everyone is a sinner. That includes the saints…only they are:thumbsup: forgiven, and at home in the Father’s House!!
I really believe that the biggest weakness of the idea that only non-sinners can be redeemed, is that folks use it as an excuse to keep from admitting that they are sinners…
A couple of years ago, a lady who was attending my church tried to convince us that we should:eek: “keep all the sinners out”. (Gonna be a really, really:rolleyes: small crowd in that church if they do that). When a whole lot of us pointed out that** we** are sinners, too, she got very angry & very frustrated, and loudly exclaimed, “Well,** I** never sin! I don’t understand why all of you have such a problem with it!!!”🤷
See what I mean?? Its a form of spiritual 😦 pride. Like the Pharisee, who prayed, “Lord, I thank you that I am not like all this other [sinful] men”…“Well,** I** never sin”…Ummmmm…well, that’s pride, and lying, and losing her temper, and a few other things…all in one short sentence…
 
Francis was a wild and crazy guy before his conversion and may be the greatest saint of the medieval Church.
 
child_of_God85 said:
I’m trying to find names of saints that had sinful pasts. I know someone (not a friend) that does not believe that once a person sins they can be redeamed. So I’m trying to find info on saints that had sinful pasts to prove that every sinner can be redeamed.
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Look here

ewtn.com/library/MARY/SNTSIN.HTM

SAINTS FOR SINNERS Alban Goodier, S.J.
Contents
St. Augustine Of Hippo (354-430)
St. Margaret Of Cortona: The Second Magdalene (1247-1297)
St. John Of God: The Waif (1495-1550)
The Failure Of St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552)
The Self-Portrait Of St. John Of The Cross (1542-1591)
St. Camillus De Lellis: The Ex-Trooper (1550-1614)
St. Joseph Of Cupertino: The Dunce (1603-1663)
Bl. Claude De La Colombiere (1641-1682)
St. Benedict Joseph Labre: The Beggar Saint (1748-1783)
etc…
Hope this helps
 
child_of_God85 said:
I’m trying to find names of saints that had sinful pasts. I know someone (not a friend) that does not believe that once a person sins they can be redeamed. So I’m trying to find info on saints that had sinful pasts to prove that every sinner can be redeamed.
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Wow. Forgiveness is a major theme of Christianity. I submit that any Christian who doesn’t believe in forgiveness is seriously misguided. Christ even indicated straightforwardly that He came to save *sinners. *:confused:
 
child_of_God85 said:
I’m trying to find names of saints that had sinful pasts. I know someone (not a friend) that does not believe that once a person sins they can be redeamed. So I’m trying to find info on saints that had sinful pasts to prove that every sinner can be redeamed.
Click to expand...
St. Augustine…

I don’t remember the exact quote, but it went something like…

“Oh Lord, give me chastity, but not yet.”

😃
 
It’s a strange situation. This guy I know is truely a good person, but has major flaws. He is very moral. I’m not sure though that he’s even Christian, but he seems very interested when I start talking about my religion.
He has a lot of hate though. It’s strange, this is the kind of person I would never become aquainted with, at all. It’s the kind of person I would stay far away from. But I feel in inner calling to help him, like God is asking me to help this person find him. So, I’m digging deep to find as much patience as I can.
Luckily the guy seems to respect me. He’s says he feels he has truely met a good person in me, and respects how I am very peaceful and loving to all people.

And any suggestions would be really appreciated. Books I can recomend to this guy, anything.
 
Filius99993 said:
I didn’t think that we regard Mary as a saint. She’s in a different category, I believe.

Right now, St. Thomas More comes to mind. He killed lots and lots of people. But in the end he ended up dying for the faith.
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THOMAS MORE?
Good heavens!
He was a husband, a father, a lawyer.
A murderer??? Not to my knowledge.
 
catharina said:
THOMAS MORE?

Good heavens!
He was a husband, a father, a lawyer.
A murderer??? Not to my knowledge.
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More wasn’t a murderer, but he did have an important position in Henry VIII’s court. Among his duties he performed for Henry VIII was to purge heresy and he did have numerous English protestants burnt at the stake (all of this before Henry had his own break with Rome).
 
Kielbasi said:
More wasn’t a murderer, but he did have an important position in Henry VIII’s court. Among his duties he performed for Henry VIII was to purge heresy and he did have numerous English protestants burnt at the stake (all of this before Henry had his own break with Rome).
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Would you give me a historical quote in that regard?
Thanks.
 
Kielbasi said:
More wasn’t a murderer, but he did have an important position in Henry VIII’s court. Among his duties he performed for Henry VIII was to purge heresy and he did have numerous English protestants burnt at the stake (all of this before Henry had his own break with Rome).
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Ah, but my point was that he killed people, rather than trying to take them back to the faith. I consider that a sin. But you’re right, he wasn’t an outright murderer. But I never called him one.
 
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