Even if a unity of faith is not possible, a unity of love is.
Hans Urs Von BalthasarRead
The Church does not dispense the sacrament of baptism in order to acquire for herself an increase in membership but in order to consecrate a human being to God and to communicate to that person the divine gift of birth from God.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The sacrament of baptism is intended for spiritual purposes rather than increasing Church membership.
In this quote, Hans Urs Von Balthasar emphasizes the profound significance of baptism as a sacrament that serves to connect an individual with God, rather than a mere act of increasing institutional allegiance to the Church. He highlights the notion that baptism is a divine gift that signifies a rebirth and consecration to a higher spiritual calling, reflecting the depth and seriousness of the sacrament beyond organizational aims.
Themes
BaptismSacramentSpiritualityDivine GiftConsecration
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the significance of religious rituals, one might reference this quote to highlight the true intent of baptism.
More from Hans Urs Von Balthasar
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A truth that is merely handed on, without being thought anew from its very foundations, has lost its vital power.
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The Holy Spirit knows what a particular age's most pressing need is far better than men with their programs.
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The first attempt at a response: there must have been a fall, a decline, and the road to salvation can only be the return of the sensible finite into the intelligible infinite.
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But the saints are never the kind of killjoy spinster aunts who go in for faultfinding and lack all sense of humor. (Nor should the Karl Barth who so loved and understood Mozart be regarded as such.)For humor is a mysterious but unmistakable charism inseparable from Catholic faith, and neither the "progressives" nor the "integralists" seem to possess it - the latter even less than the former.
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