Traditionally, the two marks of the saint
are joy and penitence:
joy because one knows that one is not God,
and yet with God all things are possible.
The saint knows that perfection rests
in divinity and not in the ability
of the believer to negotiate reality
so that one "comes off best."
The saint knows that he or she is not God,
and yet knows how easily one can forget
this simple fact.
The saint knows about darknesses
and shadows that cloud judgment.
~ Alan Jones