Saints Behaving Badly

"Saints Behaving Badly" by Thomas J. Craughwell

Introduction:

"Saints Behaving Badly" is a book that presents in contemporary writing style the lives of sinners-turned-saints. If the traditional manner of narrating their lives included popular legends and pious stories, the book's presentation includes background information from social and historical sources. It is these socio-historical references that contemporary readers will discover the human side of each saint. In some, there is even a spirit of light humour. The author of the book, however, does not downplay the traditional stories surrounding the saint's life; he situates them according to the actual context of past Catholic culture, with concrete references to the country of origin of each saint.

The book narrates the lives of 28 saints, who even with their initial "bad behavior", were able to change their sinful ways, and lead very holy lives until the last remaining years of their life. These stories can inspire and encourage anybody interested. And the message by author Craughwell is simple: "there's hope for all of us".

A sample of 28 sinners-turned-saints

In the author's sample list, he did not include St. Mary Magdalene - the woman from whom Jesus exorcised seven devils. Because the author uses modern tools in interpreting Scripture, and also employs historical methods of analysis, he explains how tradition sees St. Mary Magdalene as a prostitute, and how modern tools of interpreting scripture presently reveal that she is not. It is this way of presenting the lives of the saints that the author opens our eyes to new ways of seeing the saints: both in their holy and human sides - yet keeping a balance, so that as a whole, their life is viewed as a witness to God's life-changing power.


As one follows the list given by the author and the "sin title" next to each saint, one may be surprised to learn that many of these saints started as cutthroats, crooks, trollops, con men, and devil worshippers. Beginning in the front flap of the book cover, the author mentions three of these gallery of sinners-turned-saints: St. Olga, who unleashed a bloodbath on her husband's assassins; St. Mary of Egypt, who walked the streets looking for new sexual conquests; and St. Thomas Becket, who despite being rich, refused to give his cloak to a man freezing to death in the street.

Saints featured in "Saints Behaving Badly"

• St. Matthew, Extortionist


• St. Dismas, Thief


• St. Callixtus, Embezzler


• St. Hippolytus, Antipope


• St. Christopher, Servant of the Devil


• St. Pelagia, Promiscuous Actress


• St. Genesius, Scoffer


• St. Moses the Ethiopian, Cutthroat and Gang Leader


• St. Fabiola, Bigamist


• St. Augustine, Heretic and Playboy


• St. Alipius, Obsessed with BloodSports


• St. Patrick, Worshipper of False Gods


• St. Mary of Egypt, Seductress


• St. Columba, Warmonger


• St. Olga, Mass Murderer


• St. Vladimir, Fratricide, Rapist and Practitioner of Human Sacrifice


• St. Olaf, Viking


• St. Thomas Becket, Hedonist


• St. Francis of Assisi, Wastrel


• Blessed Giles of Portugal, Satanist


• St. Margaret of Cortona, Rich Man's Mistress


• Blessed Angela of Foligno, Gossip and Hedonist


• St. Ignatius of Loyola, Egotist


• St. John of God, Gambler and Drunkard


• St. Camillus de Lellis, Cardsharp and Con Man


• St. Philip Howard, Cynic and Negligent Husband


• St. Peter Claver, Dithering Novice


• Venerable Matt Talbot, Chronic Alcoholic

Summary:

This book will give us new eyes to see that not all saints started right and ended right. Although saints like Catherine of Siena, Dominic Savio, and Bernadette Soubirous were already filled with God's spirit early in life, other saints started either worldly lives or as sinners like the 28 lives in this book's pages. The 28 true stories in this book help us realize that the call to follow Christ is made to every man and woman and to every situation in life - even to one who has trodden a sinful journey. And the 28 lives featured in these pages tell us of a God whose mercy and compassion can powerfully change lives of sin, to lives of holiness, that can influence many to follow, as they chose to follow Christ. If you by chance to get a copy of the book, you not only enjoy, because of many humorously written passages, but you really get inspired!