The Church Seen from the Inside

If from the outside, you liook at the stained-glass windows of an old cathedral, you will only see pieces of dark glass held together by strips of black lead. But if you enter in and view it from inside, against the light, you will see a breathtaking spectacle of colors and shapes. It is the same with the Church. Whoever sees it from the outside, with the eyes of the world, will only see its dark and gloomy side. But from the inside, with the eyes of faith and a sense of belonging, you will see what St. Paul saw, a wonderful bulding in whom the whole structure is joined together, a spotless spouse, a great mystery!

Raniero Cantalamessa, The Power of the Cross

I've read this idea in at least one other place, but it is powerful each time. Cantalamessa puts it beautifully.