Now who is an example of a canonized saint, Gladius, who held a contrary opinion to St. Leonard?

Also, where could we find out where Fr. Faber gives his opinion on the matter?

 Perhaps the scariest picture comes to us in the words of Our Lord: "Be ye perfect as my heavenly father is perfect" (or words to that effect.)

 Now, of course we cannot be perfect like God. But the implication was pretty explicit... get as close to it as you possibly can. Who among us is really actively trying, day by day, to discover their imperfections, destroy or weed them out, and actively acquire virtue? Most of us have fallen into the Sunday-Catholic stupor where "pretty nice" people and "good guys" all go to heaven. A priest once jarred me awake in a sermon when he asked "This is the will of God... your sanctification. Yet, how many of us really WANT to be saints?" Like St. Theresa, the Little Flower realized, for many of us, we are not made of the stuff that great saints are made of. We'll never do their heroic penances, or suffer their  crushing crosses, nor work their miracles or match their virtues. But if God wills it, it is possible for all of us to become "little saints." (Read Story of a Soul about her "little way" or her "elevator to heaven.")

 But one way or another... whether by the heroic efforts of the "mountainous" saints or by the love of St. Theresa's "little saints" ... being a saint is something we are supposed to both want seriously, and seriously strive at as the main goal of our lives, not merely as something we have in the back of our minds somewhere and never think of it. To be a saint is to be purified of ones sins and imperfections, one way or another. How many of us really want, or are seriously trying to do this? How many more think that just going to Mass on Sunday, saying the rosary and "being nice" are enough?

This is one instance in which we may all agree wholeheartedly with the idea of prayer NOT being enough... when it comes to ourselves and our souls. Prayer and the sacraments are necessary to supply the grace for our sanctification, surely. In that they are absolutely vital. But that grace must then be used for that purpose for which it is obtained. All the gold on earth does a starving man no good, if he doesn't go to the supermarket with it.

But mankind wants to think salvation comes with minimal effort. Besides, it's much nicer to do little, and sit back and point fingers at everybody else.

 :argue:

That being true of a sad number of even the Catholics, it's little wonder if "souls are falling into hell like snowflakes."

In eternity, all that matters is how close to the mark of Christian perfection we got, one way or another. Unfortunately, like hell or purgatory, it's going to hurt.