Thus the apostle Paul begins his writings identifying himself as "chief among apostles." And ends his writings identifying himself as "chief among sinners."
He's not alone in that! (pointing finger at self)
I was wondering if you were going to reference Paul’s words< “Greatest among sinners.”
Good observation! I have heard that the prisons are full of robbers, rapists and murderers who say "I don't deserve to be here" or "It was the other guy's fault" or "What I did wasn't that wrong."
In the movie Dead Man Walking --- I don't know if the writer and director intended it this way or not --- but I thought the main dramatic tension was whether Poncelet would ever fully face and acknowledge the horror of what he had done. In other words, whether he would even give himself the bare possibility of repenting for even one minute, before he was executed.
But saints, I think, examine their consciences every day, and see where they fall short, and feel shame, and ask forgiveness.