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 XviRead
The ecclesial communities which have not preserved the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic mystery, are not Churches in the proper sense; however, those who are baptized in these communities are, by Baptism, incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote discusses the validity of certain ecclesial communities in relation to the Christian Church and the significance of Baptism.
Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes that while some communities may lack the fundamental elements of a true Church, such as the valid Episcopate and the authentic Eucharistic mystery, individuals baptized within them still possess a degree of connection to Christ and the broader Church. This imperfect communion highlights the importance of Baptism in uniting believers, despite the structural shortcomings of their communities.
Themes
EcclesialCommunitiesBaptismEpiscopateEucharistChurchCommunion
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on church unity, this quote can highlight the importance of understanding Baptism beyond denominational boundaries.
More from Pope Benedict Xvi
All quotes →The life of the community, both domestically and internationally, clearly demonstrates that respect for rights, and the guarantees that follow from them, are measures of the common good that serve to evaluate the relationship between justice and injustice, development and poverty, security and conflict.
Pope Benedict XviRead
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.
Pope Benedict XviRead
I am consoled by the fact that the Lord knows how to work and how to act, even with insufficient tools.
Pope Benedict XviRead
Faith is above all a personal, intimate encounter with Jesus, and to experience [His] closeness, [His] friendship, [His] Love; only in this way does one learn to know [Him] ever more, and to love and follow [Him] ever more. May this happen to each one of us.
Pope Benedict XviRead
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.
Pope Benedict XviRead
Similar quotes
When the calamity we feared is already arrived, or when the expectation of it is so certain as to shut out hope, there seems to be a principle within us by which we look with misanthropic composure on the state to which we are reduced, and the heart sullenly contracts and accommodates itself to what it most abhorred.
William GodwinRead
That which exists possesses identity; he could keep it out of existence by refusing to identify it.
Ayn RandRead
There's a kinship among men who have sat by a dying fire and measured the worth of their life by it.
William GoldingRead
Were the happiness of the next world is as closely apprehended as the felicities of this, it were a martyrdom to live.
Thomas BrowneRead
If what I say resonates with you, it's merely because we're branches of the same tree.
William Butler YeatsRead
Humans have certain properties and characteristics which are intrinsic to them, just as every other organism does. That's human nature.
Noam ChomskyRead