What’s the difference between a saint and a sinner? The answer isn’t as simple as we think. 

There’s an old saying: Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. That means, of course, that every saint was once a sinner and every sinner has the potential to become a saint. But even more, we can say that every saint (except the Blessed Virgin Mary) is also a sinner And every sinner possesses some degree of sanctity. 

Do you find this confusing? I’m not suggesting there’s no significant difference between saints and sinners. The difference is what’s most important. 

God knows that Paul after his conversion was a very different man than he was as Saul the persecutor of Christians. And Augustine’s famous conversion changed him from a lost soul searching without finding to a man with a mission—faith seeking understanding. Many other women and men who we now call saints were definitely traveling on the wrong road until they encountered Jesus and were set straight. 

The point is that all the saints are human. All (except Mary) sin. And all are lost, and then found, by the amazing grace of God. 

This means there’s hope for even the worst of us sinners. The Gospels are full of conversion stories—sinners who became saints (not necessarily overnight) after coming face to face with Jesus. Just a few examples: Matthew the tax collector, Mary Magdalen, the Samaritan woman at the well and Dismas, the “good thief,” who was crucified next to Jesus and was promised a place in paradise that very day!

So what’s the difference? The love of God is offered to us all equally—no matter who we are, what we’ve done or how long we’ve been “stuck in our sins.” As Pope Francis reminds us continually, God’s mercy is always there for us. If we open our minds and our hearts, God’s amazing grace can be ours—no questions asked. 

Saints are men and women who surrender and admit their need for God’s love and mercy. They are people who let go of their stubbornness and false pride. They admit their guilt, ask forgiveness and trust that Jesus will be true to his word. 

There’s hope for you and me—and every other sinner on the face of the earth. The only real difference between us and the holy women and men we call saints is that we’re not yet ready to let go of our selfishness and sin. We’re still hanging on to our old ways and our old ideas. 

Let’s pray to Mary and all the saints for the courage and wisdom to turn our lives over to God so that we can follow Jesus on the road to heaven!