"I'm Not a Saint"

"I'm too sexy for this job, too sexy for this job..."

Silvio Berlusconi, under mounting allegations, no pun intended, has come out in the press and said, 'I'm not a Saint' in his defense.

It's an interesting phrase and one that I've used myself quite a few times when a friend or two has been shocked by something I have done. "I'm only human!" or "I'm no Saint!" are jolly good defenses...to a point. Yet, there is something rather defeatist about the statement. Our private falls are humbling and remind us of our need for God's mercy. When someone in public life, 'falls from Grace', it must be very humbling indeed, perhaps a little humiliating, because its all over the papers. To be frank I feel sorry for anyone who has their private life turned over in public. It's pretty grim, I'd imagine. Wake up in the morning, look at The Times, 'Oh, my sex life is all over the front page again. Darling, have you seen my glasses? Darling? Darling!'

Clearly, Mr Berlusconi has a sex addiction and being very wealthy, popular and powerful, there is plenty of temptation around him which on various occasions he has given into. My sins are many in number and kind and I wouldn't judge Mr Berlusconi on his weaknesses. But somehow, saying, 'I'm not a Saint' is missing something. I suppose the problem with the statement, 'I'm not a Saint' is that it can express a certain defiance, a kind of, 'This is me and you can take it or leave it, because I'm not going to change' attitude, because 'I'm not a Saint'. Secondly, it is a lot easier to say, 'I'm not a Saint' than it is to say, 'Pray for me. I have screwed up royally this time. Bigtime! I am a poor sinner seeking the Mercy of God'. Thirdly, a man could commit heinous crimes against women, children and men, slaughter whole villages, eat their babies for breakfast and then turn around to a horrified public and say, 'Well, what do you expect? I'm not a Saint!'

St Paul says that as Catholics we are 'called to be Saints'. Our Blessed Lord told us to 'be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.' The standard of the Gospel, the standards of Christ are so high and indeed we do fall short. For 'all have fallen short of the Glory of God'. But God is Good and God is Mercy and Love. Our Lord picks us up when we fall, longs to embrace us again and wipe away our tears. He knows and loves Mr Berlusconi and all of us possibly more than we can know or truly appreciate in this life.

In other words, Mr Berlusconi may say to the Italian public, 'I'm not a Saint', but the reality is that Sainthood is something to which he and every Catholic is called. Mr Berlusconi may not be a Saint. I may not be a Saint. But both Mr Berlusconi and I have been called by Christ not to defend our vices by negating that Glory to which we have been called, but by saying, 'Lord, I am a poor sinner, make me into a Saint!" Then, after he's been to Confession and told the Lord all about his misdemeanours he can walk out of the Church having done his assigned penance and say to the press, "Listen you cockroaches, the Lord has just taken away all my sins because He loves me and died for me. Why don't you think of doing the same yourselves, you toerags?! I'm off home to go and try and patch things up with my wife and kids and as for you, go and look at yourselves before judging me! I may be a poor sinner, but I know that my Redeemer liveth and with His help, with His Grace, I will be a Saint!"

Well, that's what I would say, if I were famous and ever caught with my pants down in public.