Like it or not, you’re going to see it.
Christ wants a visible Church. A Church that’s not perfect, that is what it is. But there it is, and as one critic said about the Catholic Church years ago, “Here comes everybody.”
This was kind a of grudging admiration: the Catholic Church accepts everybody — and anybody. That’s a great thing about it; that’s why it’s called “Catholic.” Catholic means “universal.”
And it’s visible; like it or not, you’re going to see it. There are a lot of people and a lot of different groups in the world that would like it to be made invisible.
“Stay quiet; stay in your little building, right here — and when you go outside, shut up! Don’t speak out about your faith.” But Christ wants a visible Church.
And because of its unity and visibility, the Church is a force against evil, a force against what opposes the truth.
The devil fears the Church. So do powerful governments, universities, people who “have it all” in secular societies. They fear a visible Church. They know there’s a power there, and until it is eliminated, they can’t rest.
But they will not succeed in destroying it. The gates of hell will not prevail against it (Mt 16:18).
