03 March 2006

Patristic Quote for the Day

The Church is mother of her own children, and she welcomes them and wraps her bosom around strangers. Noah's ark was an open theatre, but the Church is even better than that. For while it took irrational animals and preserved them as irrational animals, this [the Church] receives irrational animals and transforms them. For example, if a heretical fox enters here, I make that person a sheep. If a wolf enters, for my part I make them a lamb. If they're unwilling, it's nothing to do with me, but due to their obstinancy. - St. John Chrysostom, *On Saint Phocas* par. 7

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is quite beautiful!

Deb - who is going to look up who St. Phocas was.

Chaz said...

I like this. :-) Kind of reminds me of transforming soils...