Well Said: The Church is God Hung Between Two Thieves

Susan Vigilante puts a great quote in the comments boxes on Archbishop Dolan's excellent piece (which I called "The Church is Full of Sinners: This is Not New"). Go read it.

She then says, "I don't think I've ever read a description of what the Church is."

I have what I consider the answer to that so it is today's quote (which I'm having to type in from page 38 of Happy Catholic because I can't find the complete excerpt on the internet; thank heavens for extra copies at work).

The church is always God hung between two thieves. Thus no one should be surprised or shocked at how badly the church has betrayed the gospel and how much it continues to do so today. It has never done very well. Conversely, however, nobody should deny the good the church has done either. It has carried grace, produced saints, morally challenged the planet, and made, however imperfectly, a house for God to dwell in on this earth.

To be connected with the church is to be associated with scoundrels, warmongers, fakes, child-molesters, murderers, adulterers and hypocrites of every description. It also, at the same time, identifies you with saints and the finest persons of heroic soul within every time, country, race and gender. To be a member of the church is to carry the mantle of both the worst sin and the finest heroism of soul....because the church always looks exactly as it looked at the original crucifixion, God hung among thieves.

Ronald Rolheiser, The Holy Longing

By the way, Susan wrote a terrific book called Breakfast with the Pope, which I have been struggling to get the time to review properly. I may drop the concept of "review properly" in favor of something briefer so that I can just tell y'all to go get it and read it ... with a bit more explanation, of course. But for now, know that I liked it!