--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...the only thing that makes the Church…" description: "\"...the only thing that makes the Church endurable is that it is somehow the body of Christ and that on this we are fed. It seems to be a fact that you ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/flannery-o-connor-639_believe_the-only-thing-that-makes-the-church-end_582322.jpg" --- # ...the only thing that makes the Church endurable is that… ![“...the only thing that makes the Church endurable is that it is somehow the body of Christ and that on this we are fed. It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that…” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/flannery-o-connor-639_believe_the-only-thing-that-makes-the-church-end_582322.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/flannery-o-connor-639_believe_the-only-thing-that-makes-the-church-end_582322.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/flannery-o-connor-639_believe_the-only-thing-that-makes-the-church-end_582322.jpg) > “...the only thing that makes the Church endurable is that it is somehow the body of Christ and that on this we are fed. It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.” [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Enduring the Church involves suffering yet cherishing the world, rooted in belief in Christ's divinity. **In simple terms:** Suffering in faith coexists with love for the world. Key Takeaway Embrace both struggle and reverence. Themes faith suffering world divinity endurance Mood contemplative hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - church community - ethical dilemmas - spiritual practice Key Concepts theology spiritual resilience human condition Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to cherish the world while suffering? - How does belief shape endurance? A Different Perspective Belief may not ease all pain, leading to doubt. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Body of christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-of-christ/) [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Divinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divinity/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Feds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Perhaps the Lord has called me and preserved me for this service not because I am particularly fit for it, or so that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/perhaps-the-lord-has-called-me-and-preserved-me-for-this-service-not/) [Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/) > [“At the end of the day, everyone who comes to your church needs to be able to put into words what makes your church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcconnell/at-the-end-of-the-day-everyone-who-comes-to-your-church-needs-to-be/) Scott McConnell > [What makes a church great in the eyes of God? 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The dark side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cole/we-have-raised-the-bar-so-high-on-how-church-is-done-that-few-believe/) Neil Cole > [How can we call ourselves a church and not believe in healing and in miracles? I cannot read four pages anywhere in the Bible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-osborn/how-can-we-call-ourselves-a-church-and-not-believe-in-healing-and-in/) [T.L. Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-osborn/) > [“Unfortunately, some in the Church may believe sincerely that their testimony is a raging bonfire when it really is little more than the faint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/unfortunately-some-in-the-church-may-believe-sincerely-that-their/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [“Having a husband, it seems to me, is a small matter like going to church. Either you trust in something or you do not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-graham/having-a-husband-it-seems-to-me-is-a-small-matter-like-going-to/) [Winston Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-graham/) > [Manly natural religion - it is not joining the Church; it is not to believe in a creed, Hebrew, Protestant, Catholic, Trinitarian, Unitarian, Nothingarian.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/manly-natural-religion-it-is-not-joining-the-church-it-is-not-to/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [We grew up going to church, and I believe in God. 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