The Church is a mystery. On the one hand, the Church is human and temporal. The Church is led by men and its message is expressed in human terms. Its rite of initiation, baptism, is similar to the common act of washing to the common act of washing; and its principal act of worship, the Holy Eucharist, resembles a meal. The Church includes sinful men among its members, and in the Church there are misunderstanding and the misuse of heavenly things. To a considerable degree, the Church is subject to the vicissitudes of history, and it must contend with contradiction and persecution.