![\"Church\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/394\/2014\/09\/Church.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBeing a Catholic comes with many challenges. We are called to lay down our lives for other; love our neighbor as ourselves; give of our abundance to those who are in need; strive for holiness; care for the spiritual and temporal needs of those around us; fast and pray; and in all things grow to image God\u2019s love to everyone. These are all hard enough in themselves, I certainly fail at all of these things on a daily basis; but one thing that makes being a Catholic incredibly difficult is the fact that\u00a0other<\/em>\u00a0Catholics are also\u00a0failures\u00a0at being holy. The Church is chock-full of sinners. The pews are overflowing with adulterers, liars, cheats, selfish, wrathful, abusive, and all around good-for-nothing scoundrels. Not only that, but even the priests, deacons and religious are filled with sins of every kind.<\/p>\n Is THIS the community\u00a0that Jesus founded?<\/p>\n Are these people the Body of Christ?<\/p>\n Is this this Church that will prevail against the Gates of Hell?<\/p>\n How can God expect us to\u00a0prevail \u00a0against the gates of hell, when we can\u2019t even get through a meeting of the Parish Council without feeling defeated?<\/p>\n Does God really expect us to follow the leaders in the Church, when so many are just as bad if not wore than us?<\/p>\n This week I had a chance to sit down with some other Christian writers and thinkers and talk about what it means to live in a Church under spiritual authority without losing your mind or your faith. I have included a recording of the conversation below, and would like to invite you all to take a listen! Make sure you subscribe to the podcast here!<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>