We are a church of sinners but we must not be afraid of holiness. Do not be afraid to aim for holiness and turn yourselves over to the love of God. Holiness does not mean performing extraordinary things but carrying out daily things in an extraordinary way that is with love, joy and faith.
The real power is love, that which empowers others, that which arouses action, that which no chain is able to hold back, for even on the Cross or on the death bed one is able to love. One does not need youthful beauty, nor recognition or approval, nor money or prestige. Let love simply bloom...and it is unstoppable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love is a powerful force that inspires action and cannot be constrained by external circumstances.
This quote by Pope Francis emphasizes that love is the most potent and liberating force in the human experience. It highlights that love can thrive in any situation, regardless of one's physical state, societal status, or material wealth. The essence of love is its ability to inspire and empower individuals to act positively, suggesting that love's authenticity is not dependent on superficial attributes or external validations. When allowed to flourish, love becomes an unstoppable force that transcends all barriers.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a wedding ceremony to highlight the strength of love.
More from Pope Francis
All quotes →I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers. May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable.
No one must say that they cannot be close to the poor because their own lifestyle demands more attention to other areas. This is an excuse commonly heard in academic, business or professional, and even ecclesial circles. While it is quite true that the essential vocation and mission of the lay faithful is to strive that earthly realities and all human activity may be transformed by the Gospel, none of us can think we are exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice
We face so many challenges in life: poverty, distress, humiliation, the struggle for justice, persecutions, the difficulty of daily conversion, the effort to remain faithful to our call to holiness, and many others. But if we open the door to Jesus and allow him to be part of our lives, if we share our joys and sorrows with him, then we will experience the peace and joy that only God, who is infinite love, can give.
More and more people work on Sundays as a consequence of the competitiveness imposed by a consumer society.
This Christmas may we be consistent in living the Gospel, welcoming Jesus into the centre of our lives.
Similar quotes
The heart, like the mind, has a memory. And in it are kept the most precious keepsakes.
A middle finger is more New York than a corporate ambush. I bleed for my hometown, and I'd die for my fans.
The cross symbolizes a cosmic as well as historic truth. Love conquers the world, but its victory is not an easy one.
Amour is the one human activity of any importance in which laughter and pleasure preponderate, if ever so slightly, over misery and pain.
People who have babies tell me I will know a love that is beyond anything I can imagine, and a joy that is indescribable. Love and joy? That sounds horrifying. I have no way of knowing whether I can handle either of those. I'm much better with need and fear. They are what ground me.
Sometimes I have the strangest feeling about you. Especially when you are near me as you are now. It feels as though I had a string tied here under my left rib where my heart is, tightly knotted to you in a similar fashion. And when you go to Ireland, with all that distance between us, I am afraid that this cord will be snapped, and I shall bleed inwardly.