Even if a unity of faith is not possible, a unity of love is.
Hans Urs Von BalthasarRead
It is, finally, a word is untimely in three different senses, and bearing it as one's treasure will not win one anyone's favours; one rather risks finding oneself outside everyone's camp... Beauty is the word that shall be our first.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Beauty is a complex and often misunderstood concept that can alienate those who do not appreciate it.
In this quote, Hans Urs Von Balthasar reflects on the multifaceted nature of beauty and its timing in human experience. He suggests that holding on to the concept of beauty as a prized possession can sometimes lead to isolation, as it may not resonate with everyone, and can even result in being excluded from collective human connections.
Themes
BeautyPhilosophyTruthHuman ExperienceExclusion
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about art, this quote could highlight the subjective nature of beauty.
More from Hans Urs Von Balthasar
All quotes →It is to the Cross that the Christian is challenged to follow his Master: no path of redemption can make a detour around it.
Hans Urs Von BalthasarRead
A truth that is merely handed on, without being thought anew from its very foundations, has lost its vital power.
Hans Urs Von BalthasarRead
The Holy Spirit knows what a particular age's most pressing need is far better than men with their programs.
Hans Urs Von BalthasarRead
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.
Hans Urs Von BalthasarRead
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.
Hans Urs Von BalthasarRead
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