A Quote or Two
The end of summer is always a busy time, isn’t it? From harvesting to beginning school to preparing for cold weather, there’s always something for us humans to do.
Okay. That was my way of saying I didn’t take the time to write a post for this first Thursday of September. I had one going, but it needs more time to be made … well, understandable. So, I’m going to share a couple of quotes that I came across in the last few weeks. They spoke to me, so maybe they’ll speak to you.
The first one refers to the two thieves crucified with Christ. The original saying is attributed to St. Augustine, but it was quoted by Samuel Beckett. Here’s the version I like:
“One thief was spared, so do not despair. One thief was lost, so do not presume.”
The next is from Theology of the Body, a series of addresses by Pope John Paul II. This quote is from February 20, 1980:
“The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus to be a sign of it”
~ St. John Paul II, Theology of the Body 19
The last quote from Theology of the Body was the jumping off point for the not-quite-ready-for-primetime post that I’ve been working on this week. Maybe next time? If you have thoughts on the quote, please share them in the comments! Maybe it will help me finish up the piece.
© 2025 Christina Chase
Feature Photo by Manasvita S on Unsplash
First quote attribution confusion: https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/71092/where-does-this-famous-st-augustine-quote-about-the-repentant-thief-come-from
Second quote can be read in context here on page 49: https://stmarys-waco.org/documents/2016/9/theology_of_the_body.pdf
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Christina Chase View All
Although crippled by disease, I'm fully alive in love. I write about the terrible beauty and sacred wonder of life, while living with physical disability and severe dependency. A revert to the Catholic faith through atheism, I'm not afraid to ask life's big questions. I explore what it means to be fully human through my weekly blog and have written a book: It's Good to Be Here, published by Sophia Institute Press.
Christina Chase 
Hi Christina, Just me… I’m not sure how much I’m about to write, so you can choose whether or not to post it as a comment. Ok, here I go…. So the beginning of today’s first reading spoke to me as a possible starting point. “Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Obviously, no one is able to make God visible more completely than the God-man Himself. And God is love. And laying down one’s life for others is love made visible, which is what Jesus did. You can apply other attributes to this… God is Mercy. Jesus is Mercy made visible, etc. Also, I know a good priest who likes to harp on the idea that we are called to participate in the Divine life of God. And by participating in this Divine life, we make the invisible, visible. It’s not something that we are capable of doing on our own. The quote that comes to my mind is, “He must increase, I must decrease.” This is the best way to participate in the Divine life of God while we are in our bodies here on earth. It’s letting God work in us and through us. What’s that Saying?…God has no hands, but ours. No feet but ours, etc. This is how the Divine is made visible through flesh. As I’ve told you before, I am, or at least try to be, Marian. Mary is, of course, the embodiment of participating in the Divine life, even on earth. She was the most highly favored daughter of the Father, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the Mother of the Word of God. On earth, she died to self from the Annunciation to the Cross – really every moment of her life. She participated in the Divine life in ways we don’t fully understand. And therefore, she is now participating in the Divine life in heaven in the highest degree – with her glorious body! While maybe not completely defined yet by the Church, Mary is recognized as our Advocate and the Mediatrix of All Graces…. The treasurer, and the Treasury of all of God’s Graces…..meaning she has the right to give them to whomever she wills. To a lesser degree, we see the saints obtaining miracles, too. The priest I mentioned above, always talks about how heaven is a participation in life of the Trinity. But I think it starts on earth. We humans have been given the opportunity to participate in the Divine life. We make God visible by our good works. Today’s Feast of St. Mother Teresa is such a great example! She died to self and therefore made the invisible Love of God visible to the world. Ok, hope this is food for thought. Can’t wait to read your blog. More later. I want to catch up with you on life, when time permits. Megan
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