Blessed are those who suffer from not seeing the Church as beautifully as they wish, and who are led by this reality to greater obedience and more fervent prayer. It is a profound effort, but it holds high supernatural value. We can never say this often enough: a Catholic is someone who is sure of the existence of Jesus Christ—God, based on certain reasons and despite many scandals.
(Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ /1881–1955/, letter from the front, to a cousin, July 4, 1915;
quoted from the book Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Birth of Thought. Letters 1914–1919, 2021)
