Quote

If in my life I fail completely to heed others, solely out of a desire to be 'devout' and to perform my 'religious duties', then my relationship with God will also grow arid. It becomes merely 'proper', but loveless.

Pope Benedict XVI

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Pope Benedict XVI
Age: 97
Born: 1927
Born: April 16
Philosopher
Pianist
Religious Writer
Roman Catholic Priest
Theologian
Transitional Deacon
University Teacher
Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI
Josef Ratzinger
Benedetto XVI
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Joseph Alois Ratzinger
Becomes
Proper
Grows
Fail
Arid
Religious
Merely
Loveless
Desire
Failing
Devout
Others
Completely
Heed
Also
Duty
Solely
Life
Grow
Duties
Relationship
Perform

More quotes by Pope Benedict XVI

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We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God.
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The Church does not engage in proselytism. Instead, she grows by attraction: just as Christ draws all to himself by the power of his love, culminating in the sacrifice of the Cross, so the Church fulfills her mission.
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God's heart calls to our hearts, inviting us to come out of ourselves, to forsake our human certainties, to trust in him and, by following his example, to make ourselves a gift of unbounded love.
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What is capable of restoring enthusiasm and confidence, what can encourage the human spirit to rediscover its path, to raise its eyes to the horizon, to dream of a life worthy of its vocation - if not beauty?
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In Latin America in general, it's very important that Christianity not be simply a thing of reason, but also of the heart.
Pope Benedict XVI
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Standards of conduct appropriate to civil society or the workings of a democracy cannot be purely and simply applied to the Church.
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One of the promising indications of a renewal in the Church's missionary consciousness in recent decades, has been the growing desire of many lay men and women [...] to cooperate generously in the 'missio ad gentes.' As Vatican Council II stressed, the work of evangelization is a fundamental duty incumbent upon the whole People of God.
Pope Benedict XVI
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The Church's mission is not political in nature. Her task is to open the world to the religious sense by proclaiming Christ.
Pope Benedict XVI
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Let us put our hands today again at (God's) disposition and pray that he takes our hands to guide us. Let his hand take ours so we won't sink, but will serve life which is stronger than death, and love which is stronger than hatred.
Pope Benedict XVI
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Our first experience of God is so important, we either experience Him as the police guard that wants to punish or as Creative Love that awaits.
Pope Benedict XVI
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I thank you, dear Brothers, for preaching the love of Christ and exhorting your people to tolerance, respect and love of their brothers and sisters and of all persons. In this way you exercise the prophetic ministry that the Lord has entrusted to the Church, and in particular to the Successors of the Apostles (cf. Pastores Gregis, 26).
Pope Benedict XVI
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That the different Christian confessions, aware of the need for a new evangelisation in this period of profound transformations, may be committed to announcing the Good News and moving towards the full unity of all Christians in order to offer a more credible testimony of the Gospel.
Pope Benedict XVI
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Let us allow ourselves to be 'infected' by St. Joseph's silence! We need it greatly, in a world that is often too noisy, that does not favor meditation or listening to the voice of God.
Pope Benedict XVI
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Look at the face of the other... discover that he has a soul, a history and a life, that he is a person and that God loves this person.
Pope Benedict XVI
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Human pride and egoism always create divisions, build walls of indifference, hate and violence. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, makes hearts capable of understanding the languages of all, as he re-establishes the bridge of authentic communication between earth and Heaven.
Pope Benedict XVI
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Friends, do not be afraid of silence or stillness. Listen to God. Adore Him in the Eucharist.
Pope Benedict XVI
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In Jesus Christ, God took on a human face and became our friend and brother.
Pope Benedict XVI
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Do not believe that living together before marriage guarantees the future. By burning certain stages, you risk burning love itself. Time needs to be respected gradually, just like the expressions of love.
Pope Benedict XVI
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A thirst for the infinite is indelibly present in human beings. Man was created to have a relationship with God we need him.
Pope Benedict XVI
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The happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist.
Pope Benedict XVI