Top 567 Quotes & Sayings by Pope Benedict XVI - Page 3

Down through the centuries, the Czech Republic, the territory of the Czech Republic has been a place of cultural exchange.

It is of great concern that the fabric of African life, its very source of hope and stability, is threatened by divorce, abortion, prostitution, human trafficking, and a contraception mentality.

Interreligious dialogue in the strict sense of the term is not possible without putting one's own faith into parentheses.

It is important to be in the 'we' of the Church, in the 'we' of the life of the Liturgy.

I would say that normally it is the creative minorities that determine the future, and in this sense, the Catholic Church must understand itself as a creative minority that has a heritage of values that are not things of the past, but a very living and relevant reality.

The Church must actualize, be present in the public debate, in our struggle for a true concept of liberty and peace.

The cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble worker in the Lord's vineyard.

The myth of my solitude makes me laugh.

The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

My plans never progressed as far as a clear desire for a family.

It is important to learn to understand in a historical text, a text from the past, the living Word of God, that is, to enter into prayer and thus read Sacred Scripture as a conversation with God.

Freedom is not only a gift, but a summons to personal responsibility.

Dear young people, do not be satisfied with anything less than Truth and Love, do not be content with anything less than Christ

Do you want to know yourself better? Then discover silence.

Help each other to live and to grow in the Christian faith so as to be valiant witnesses of the Lord. Be united, but not closed. Be humble, but not fearful. Be simple, but not naive. Be thoughtful, but not complicated. Enter into dialogue with others, but be yourselves.

Christianity is not a new philosophy or new morality. We are Christians only if we encounter Christ... Only in this personal relationship with Christ, only in this encounter with the Risen One do we really become Christians... Therefore, let us pray to the Lord to enlighten us, so that, in our world, he will grant us the encounter with his presence, and thus give us a lively faith, an open heart, and great charity for all, capable of renewing the world.

Holiness does not consist in not making mistakes or never sinning. Holiness grows with capacity for conversion, repentance, willingness to begin again, and above all with the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness.

What a treasure is hidden in two small words: 'thank you!'

Believing is nothing other than, in the darkness of the world, touching the hand of God, and in this way, in silence, hearing the Word, seeing love.

In the face of horror ... there is no other answer than the cross of Christ: Love that descends to the abyss of evil.

The story of Mary of Magdalene reminds us all of a fundamental truth...A disciple of Christ is one who, in the experience of human weakness, has had the humility to ask for his help, has been healed by him and has set out following closely after him, becoming a witness of the power of his merciful love that is stronger than sin and death.

There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.

Forgiveness does not replace justice.

The new evangelization ... begins in the confessional.

The happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist.

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.

Many people perceive Christianity as something institutional - rather than as an encounter with Christ - which explains why they don't see it as a source of joy.

One who has hope lives differently.

God is always faithful to His promises, but He often surprises us in the way He fulfills them.

The closer a person is to God, the closer he is to people.

Truth is not determined by a majority vote.

The Holy Spirit gives us joy. And he is joy. Joy is the gift in which all the other gifts are included. It is the expression of happiness, of being in harmony with ourselves, that which can only come from being in harmony with God and with his creation. It belongs to the nature of joy to be radiant; it must communicate itself. The missionary spirit of the Church is none other than the impulse to communicate the joy which has been given.

God seeks us where we are, not so that we stay there, but so that we may come to be where He is, so that we may get beyond ourselves.

Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.

Indeed, truth draws strength from itself and not from the number of votes in its favour.

If we allow the love of Christ to change our heart, then we can change the world. This is the secret of authentic happiness.

Do not be afraid of Christ. He takes nothing away and he gives you everything.

I have a mustard seed; and I am not afraid to use it.

God loves us; we need only to summon up the humility to allow ourselves to be loved.

We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God.

I'm not a man who constantly thinks up jokes. But I think it's very important to be able to see the funny side of life and its joyful dimension and not to take everything too tragically. I'd also say it's necessary for my ministry. A writer once said that angels can fly because they don't take themselves too seriously. Maybe we could also fly a bit if we didn't think we were so important.

If we take the Lord's hand and let ourselves be guided by him, the path we take will be right and good.

When politicians presume to do God's work, they do not become divine but diabolical.

Do not be afraid of seeming different and being criticized for what might seem to be losing or out of fashion; your peers but adults too, especially those who seem more distant from the mindset and values of the Gospel, are crying out to see someone who dares to live according to the fullness of humanity revealed by Jesus Christ.

It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love, and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater.

Vacation time offers the unique opportunity to pause before the thought-provoking spectacles of nature, a wonderful "book" within reach of everyone, adults and children. In contact with nature, a person rediscovers his correct dimension, rediscovers himself as a creature, small but at the same time unique, with a "capacity for God" because interiorly he is open to the Infinite.

Dear friends, may no adversity paralyze you. Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness. The Lord has allowed you to live in this moment of history so that, by your faith, his name will continue to resound throughout the world.

If you follow the will of God, you know that in spite of all the terrible things that happen to you, you will never lose a final refuge. You know that the foundation of the world is love, so that even when no human being can or will help you, you may go on, trusting in the One that loves you.

Make sure that every person, of whatever background, can find in you a welcoming heart.

Evil draws its power from indecision and concern for what other people think.

It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love.

Advent's intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church's year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart's memory so that it can discern the star of hope.

We live in a society in which it seems that every space, every moment must be 'filled' with initiatives, activity, sound; often there is not even time to listen and dialogue... Let us not be afraid to be silent outside and inside ourselves, so that we are able not only to perceive God's voice, but also the voice of the person next to us, the voices of others.

God came into the world to reawaken the thirst for great things in us.

Mary's greatness consists in the fact that she wants to magnify God, not herself.

Every human being is loved by God the Father. No one need feel forgotten, for every name is written in the Lord's loving heart.

The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.

The cross reminds us that there is no true love without suffering, there is no gift of life without pain.

We can fall, but in the end we fall into God's hands, and God's hands are good hands.

Holiness never goes out of fashion.