Writings about the Saints

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Mtdobbs

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I am wondering how people on CAF feel about books that are written about the Saints that “romanticize” their lives. Do you think it’s pious or that it’s a disservice to us by sometimes only showing us the good things about the Saints.
 
I much prefer realistic biographies. It’s so much more encouraging to know what they overcame to become saints. We can identify with that, and it can help us overcome our own sins and imperfections.

It would be very discouraging to think that all the saints were perfect from birth. Doesn’t give the rest of us much hope.
 
I’m with you completely. I am greatly edified at St Peter’s denial of Christ and his repentance and sorrow afterwards.
 
The saints weren’t even perfect while they were going about being saintly. They had faults, they had tempers, they made bad judgments, some of them said things (not concerning Church doctrine) that we do not agree with today or in all situations.

It is better if we see these things so we have a better understanding how to deal with such things in our own lives and still make it to heaven.
 
I have found some things the saints have said that are actually kind of scandalizing, which I believe is God’s way of teaching us that we are all fallen and all in need of Christ.

Even the greatest Saints are completely reliant on Jesus to get to heaven. Nobody can make it on their own !
 
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Yes, Mother Teresa had a lot of doubt, and that makes her a wonderful saint for the many people who experience doubt today.

With what Mother Teresa had to see in India, I admire her for just getting up every morning and facing the day, and not falling into the old “If God exists and is a loving God then how could he possibly create so much suffering in the world” trap.
 
St. Peter Damian in his book on St. Romuald
There are those who think they are honoring God when they make up lies about the saints whose virtues they are extolling. Unaware that God does not need their falsehoods such men abandon truth–in other words God Himself–on the mistaken grounds that they will please Him by their bogus fabrications.
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Peter Kreeft was right when he said “all the fiction stories about Jesus are stupid.” It sort of seems the same for the saints too. Though it depends ultimately what you mean by romanticized.

One thing that grinds my gears is when I hear women I know call Bl. Peir Giorgio Frassati “Hottie Frassati” as if to sexualize him. Seems pretty disrespectful to speak of a saint like this. Shame on them for that one.
 
Romanticized in the sense that it only shows us the good things about the person while purposely leaving out any negatives. Basically not giving a realistic account. I was careful to say “sometimes” because not all romanticized accounts are inaccurate. Sometimes the lives of the Saints were incredibly romantic sounding in their faithfulness and love of God. There can be a place for it.
 
Mtdobbs said:
Romanticized in the sense that it only shows us the good things about the person while purposely leaving out any negatives. Basically not giving a realistic account. I was careful to say “sometimes” because not all romanticized accounts are inaccurate. Sometimes the lives of the Saints were incredibly romantic sounding in their faithfulness and love of God. There can be a place for it.
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Oh, I gotcha. There may be more recorded in their piety than their sins. Or it may just be that they are more recognized for their piety than their sins. But there is much accounted for the saints in regards to their sinful pasts, their struggles, or even their lukewarmness;
  1. St. Francis struggled with lustful thoughts before and flung himself into a bush of thorns
  2. St. Augustine wrote about his struggles in Confessions
  3. St. Teresa of Avila was shown her reserved place in Hell if she didn’t remove herself from her lukewarm conformity.
How they each responded to these is what made them saints. If there is anything untrue about them, then that wouldn’t be good, but I haven’t come across anything specifically like that regarding the saints.
 
gcshapero said:
If there is anything untrue about them, then that wouldn’t be good, but I haven’t come across anything specifically like that regarding the saints.
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St. Therese of Lisieux’s autobiography was “cleaned up” by her family after her death and made more flowery and less realistic.
I read it many years ago and found it a bit unreal; also it wasn’t entirely clear why she said some of the things she did, for example about her sister Leonie.
The book caused me to have an incomplete understanding of St. Therese for a long time. I understand the new edition of her autobiography is closer to what she actually wrote. I also found it helpful when I learned that her sister Leonie had autism or behavioral problems, and was hard for Therese and the whole family to deal with.
 
I could list quite a few things that saints said that were untrue(unusually from ignorance and not knowing something.m from an earlier century). Just because a saint said something incorrect, doesn’t take away at from their virtue. They are Saints because of their love of God m, faithfulness, service etc. I admire them more for having faults and persevering through them
 
That’s a good point. I’d have to look into this. Thanks for the info.
 
There is a similar issued with the abridged versus unabridged versions of St. Catherine of Siena’s Dialogue (at least they told you it was abridged, but that was the only version published for a long time), although, in that case, it was more the Church than the Saint that was “cleaned up.” The abridged version removed most of the discussion of corruption in the Church, especially among the clergy, and liturgical abuse and sacrilege (purposely feigned consecrations, priests not knowing Latin and just making up jibberish, etc.)–basically things that might shock the faithful in better times. But to me, the lessons from the Dialogue on how to handle those kinds of circumstances in the Church were its most valuable aspects.
 
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