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Pope Benedict XVI Quotes - Page 8

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Nature expresses a design of love and truth.

Nature expresses a design of love and truth.

Pope Benedict XVI
Life, Design, Truth And Love
Pope Benedict XVI (2009). “Charity in Truth”, p.100, Ignatius Press

Seeing with the eyes of Christ, I can give to others much more than their outward necessities; I can give them the look of love which they crave.

Pope Benedict XVI
Eye, Giving, Looks

To some extent, this urge to break out of the ordinary is present in every generation. Part of being young is desiring something beyond everyday life and a secure job, a yearning for something really truly greater. Is this simply an empty dream that fades away as we become older? No! Men and women were created for something great, for infinity. Nothing else will ever be enough.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Dream, Jobs

Dancing is not a form of expression for the Christian liturgy.

Pope Benedict XVI
Christian, Expression, Dancing
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) (2016). “Joseph Ratzinger Collected Works: Theology of the Liturgy”, p.126, Ignatius Press

While we too always seek other signs, other wonders, we do not realize that he is the real sign, God made flesh; he is the greatest miracle of the universe: all the love of God hidden in a human heart, in a human face.

Pope Benedict XVI
Real, Heart, Miracle

Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. Such attraction fades quickly - it cannot compete in the market of leisure pursuits, incorporating as it increasingly does various forms of religious titillation.

Pope Benedict XVI
Religious, Essence, Achievement
"The Spirit of the Liturgy". Book by Pope Benedict XVI, 2000.

In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church's supreme act of adoration.

Pope Benedict XVI
Son, Holy Eucharist, Catholic
Alcuin Reid, Pope Benedict XVI (2012). “From Eucharistic Adoration to Evangelization”, p.81, A&C Black

From the point of view of the Christian faith, man comes in the profoundest sense to himself not through what he does but through what he accepts. He must wait for the gift of love, and love can only be received as a gift... One must wait for it, let it be given to one. And one cannot become wholly man in any other way than by being loved, by letting oneself be loved... If he declines to let himself be presented with the gift, then he destroys himself.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Christian, Inspiration

Concern for the fate of the great rivers of the earth must lead us to reflect soberly on the model of development which our society is pursuing. A purely economic and technological understanding of progress, to the extent that it fails to acknowledge its intrinsic limitations and to take into consideration the integral good of humanity, will inevitably provoke negative consequences for individuals, peoples and creation itself.

Pope Benedict XVI
Fate, Rivers, Water

It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the church's pastors wherever it occurs. ... The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in work, in action and in law.

Pope Benedict XVI
Law, Church, Speech
"Pope Benedict XVI on the Issues", www.foxnews.com. April 25, 2008.

In a world wounded by conflicts, where violence is justified in God's name, it's important to repeat that religion can never become a vehicle of hatred, it can never be used in God's name to justify violence.

Pope Benedict XVI
Names, Hatred, Religion

Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled today as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine," seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times.

Pope Benedict XVI
Attitude, Teaching, Wind
"Homily of His Eminence Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Dean of the College of Cardinals". Remarks by Pope Benedict XVI during a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica before the conclave of cardinals, www.vatican.va. April 18, 2005.

Too often, attention is diverted from the needs of populations, insufficient emphasis is placed on work in the fields, and the goods of the earth are not given adequate protection. As a result, economic imbalance is produced, and the inalienable rights and dignity of every human person are ignored.

Pope Benedict XVI
Rights, Population, Needs
Message to Mr. Jacques Diouf, Director General of FAO on the Occasion of World Food Day, www.huffingtonpost.com. October 15, 2010.

I say to you dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and He gives you verything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ and you will find true life.

Pope Benedict XVI
Doors, People, Giving

Authentic love is obviously something good... When we love, we become most fully ourselves, most fully human... People often think they are being loving when actually they are being possessive or manipulative. People sometimes treat others as objects to satisfy their own needs... How easy it is to be deceived by the many voices in our society that advocate a permissive approach to sexuality, without regard for modesty, self-respect or the moral values that bring quality to human relationships! This is worship of a false god. Instead of bringing life, it brings death.

Pope Benedict XVI
Life, Love Is, Self
Pope Benedict XVI's Address at the Meeting with a Group of Disadvantaged Young People of The Rehabilitation Community of The University Of Notre Dame in Sydney, w2.vatican.va. July 18, 2008.

The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations, and towards humanity as a whole.

Pope Benedict XVI
Responsibility, Humanity, Generations
Pope Benedict XVI (2009). “Charity in Truth”, p.99, Ignatius Press

Only from God does true revolution come... the definitive way to change the world.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Inspiration, Doe
Pope Benedict XVI (2006). “God's Revolution: World Youth Day and Other Cologne Talks”, p.49, Ignatius Press

Discovering the beauty and joy of faith is a path that every new generation must take on its own.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Joy, Generations

The human person finds his perfection "in seeking and loving what is true and good.

Pope Benedict XVI
Perfection, Humans, Persons

Do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth.

Pope Benedict XVI
Choices, Novelty, Possibility
Pope Benedict XVI (2014). “The Garden of God”, p.24, CUA Press

Thank you from the heart to all those who in various ways are near me or follow me spiritually with affection and prayers from afar. To each one of you, I ask you to continue to support me by praying to God to let me be his gentle and firm pastor of his church.

Pope Benedict XVI
Prayer, Heart, Support

Silence 'is so lacking in this world which is often too noisy, which is not favorable to recollection and listening to the voice of God. In this time of preparation for Christmas, let us cultivate interior recollection so as to receive and keep Jesus in our lives.'

Pope Benedict XVI
Jesus, Voice, Silence

With the Eucharist, therefore, heaven comes down to earth, the tomorrow of God descends into the present and it is as if time remains embraced by divine eternity.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Inspiration, Heaven

Ultimately, in the battle against lies and violence, truth and love have no other weapon than the witness of suffering.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Lying, Inspiration
Pope Benedict XVI (2011). “Jesus of Nazareth: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem to the Resurrection. Holy week. Part two”, p.49, Ignatius Press

The primary contribution that the Church offers to the development of mankind and peoples does not consist merely in material means or technical solutions. Rather, it involves the proclamation of the truth of Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI
Mean, Church, Doe

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