but since I recently found out there's MORE THAN ONE saint of the day... do not fear! For tomorrow there will still be another saint! I'm also thinking of living out St. Alphonsa's life whenever this happens again...
so St. Callistus
St. Callistus' only Biography was apparently written by someone who he was always at odds with so a lot of it talks of the bad things he's done in his life. But I guess what's relevant in this case is that:
He was a slave once and apparently an ex-convict? And through some crazy events he became a priest and theologian. He began to guide the new pope Zephyrinus who was not such a great theologian.
He, himself, became Pope and during his Papacy he accepted slaves (I think Equality had not found it's way to the Church yet) and sinners who committed sins of adultery, murder, and fornication. The "enemy" that wrote his biography mainly was enraged at him because of this (The early Church had been very rough on those who commited such sins). Well his "Enemy", Hippolytus was enraged by the mercy that Callistus showed to these repentant sinners, allowing them back into communion of the Church after they had performed public penance.
So point of story is that Pope Callistus was one merciful man who let's us understand that the Church embraces both sinners and saint alike!
With this is mind:
Today, I learned not to judge others. If I found myself judging someone, the Lord would immediately show me other possibilities of that person's life and how unfair I was being. It made me think of some words I heard at Fisher's Of Men. We we're told never to assume anything about a person's relationship with Christ or their faith but to share with everyone in the same way. I think I'm getting off track but my point is that I began trying to treat "sinners and saints alike". Well... that sounds like I'm assuming huh? OH, YOU GET THE POINT!
today was HARD .. my head hurts.. haha
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