Catholic Medical Quarterly Volume 74(4) Nov 2024
Book Review
The Church In The Flesh
by Ida Gorres
Publ Cluny
Reviewed by Dr Pravin Thevathasan
The
author of this excellent work was a German Catholic writer. She wrote a
brilliant work on St Therese of Lisieux.
The book consists of six "letters". She writes that the Church is in essence the Church of the Word made Flesh. It is the continuation of the life of Christ in this world. It is a supernatural body, the Mystical Body of Christ.
But how can this be when there are so many scandals in the Church? The author responds that divine love and human vice are both found.
But we have an absolute need to be members of the Body of Christ. We need life, we need grace. Where else can we go?
We need a "healthy and flourishing morality." In other words, we need to learn to become saints.
I think one of the central messages of this book is that the world is in a mess and the only solution is to draw near to God. We do so by receiving the sacraments with humility. Where else can this be found but in the Church?
Interestingly, the eulogy at the author's funeral was given by one Joseph Ratzinger.