A thief became a saint!

How often do we hear stories of many great sinners who became saints in the Church, like St. Paul and St. Augustine?

I once heard a story about two brothers living in a country small town. The story goes that both brothers were convicted of stealing sheep. For their punishment, they were branded on the forehead with the letters "ST," meaning "Sheep Thief."

One brother was so ashamed and unable to bear the stigma fled to a foreign country, where he died full of bitterness and was buried in a forgotten grave.

His brother, on the other hand, repented of what he had done. He decided to stay in the community and tried to change his way of life so that he may win back his neighbors' trust. He did everything he could to be a better person. He volunteered for community services, helped his neighbors when he saw the need, and he lived as a saint in the town.

Many years later, a visitor came to town. He asked a local resident about the strange letters on the forehead of the old man. The resident replied that he had forgotten exactly why the letters were there but that he thought "ST" most likely was an abbreviation for the word "Saint."

A thief became a saint!

So, what makes a great sinner become a saint?

I think one of the key elements is that they repented.

The key word in the story and the readings today is "Repent."

"Repent" original meaning is a "return"

Greek word: "metanoia," meaning a complete conversion or change in one's way of life.

The brother in the story and the people of Nineveh repented and changed their way of life.

We are all sinners: Each of us sins in our life, sometimes big ones and sometimes little ones. But we may become saints if we choose to repent and change. The choice of becoming a "Saint" or not is ours.

Friends, Lent is a season when the Lord is calling us sinner to choose the way of repenting and changing our way towards the foot of the cross where our Lord Jesus died for us sinners.

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart: Lord, have mercy.

You came to call sinners: Lord, have mercy.