But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.
Many people wonder what “infallibility” means and how the Catholic Church can have the gall to claim it. What they don’t recognize is that infallibility is nicely summarized in today’s verse. It is the claim that God’s unconditional love is applied to the area of guidance as well as to all the other aspects of the life of the Church and that, because of this, God will see to it that the Church (that collection of chuckleheaded earthen vessels) will not lose track of the gospel. It is his transcendent power, not the cleverness or piety of Catholics, that preserves the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.