A selection of saints

Reading lists is boring, and "listicles" are the basickest of blog-bitchery. But I'm on mine own time here sooo... once again.

We are all agreed on the Apostles and the New Testament authors, at least those who aren't pseudonyms. (Even there e.g. "1 Peter" might not be by actual Cephas, but it is still good.)

I appreciate Clement for, perhaps, presiding over the Roman letter to Corinth. Next up, Ignatius, for insisting on the Eucharist. Jerome brought the Jewish Bible to the Latins. Augustine insisted on human reason and compassion as core to Christianity. Gregory and Macrina of Nyssa rejected slavery and (in Gregory's case) usury. Maximus suffered for dyotheletism in the Faith.

There are obviously many more saints - several popes named "Gregory" were magni indeed - these are just the ones coming to mind at this present moment. I'm also leaving aside canonical saints whom I dispute. Although: I'll divulge here that I do pray salla Allâhu 'alâ for Nestorius, William of Ockham, and Erasmus. ALSO 12/14/2021: Throw in Robert of Lincoln, and Richard Simón. And why not John and Christopher Tolkien?

Of those saints whom the Church has beatified, I do not say even these were perfect wo/men. Jerome (discl.: my patron) was an absolute dick to his opponents, even to Augustine. As for Augustine, he himself confessed to us more of his own sins than we strictly needed to know. Maximus could have chosen his battles better, given the state of the Mediterranean at the time he was preaching. But these failings were personal or tactical. Overall they knew the real enemy, an enemy across time; and they knew the real Faith, which is eternal.

And our Faith has never been a faith for the perfect.

You don't have to be perfect to be a saint. You just have to love one another and to keep G-d's Commandments, as one saint once put it.