Most of the early monks were not ordained. It was the pastoral work they undertook with the faithful that, over the centuries, gradually led to the present situation in which most monks are ordained priests. Basil Hume More Quotes by Basil Hume More Quotes From Basil Hume The great gift of Easter is hope - Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake. Basil Hume hopechristianfaith Soon after you're dead - we're not sure how long - but not long, you'll be united with the most ecstatic love you've ever known. As one of the best things in your life was human love, this will be love, but much more satisfying, and it will last forever. Basil Hume love-youlongdeath Why God should want and need us is a mystery. But it is true: otherwise he would not have created us and life would ultimately have no meaning for us. It is good to remember that in God the is a constancy, a consistency of attitude which never changes, irrespective of what we are or how we act: he never changes in is wanting us or needing us. Basil Hume consistencyattitudeneeds We have really lost in our society the sense of the sacredness of life. Basil Hume sacrednesssocietylost Deep down, we remain human, very human and have all the desires to love and be loved by one person. Basil Hume humansdesirelove From aquaintances we conceal our real selves. To our friends we reveal our weaknesses. Basil Hume weaknessrealself Moral choices do not depend on personal preference and private decision but on right reason and, I would add, divine order. Basil Hume divine-orderchoicesdecision Death remains about the one certain fact in the lives of each one of us, and there will be suffering, sorrow, and sadness next week as there was last week. Basil Hume sadsufferingnext-week Christ shared our experience; he suffered as we suffer; he died as we shall die, and for forty days in the desert he underwent the struggle between good and evil. Basil Hume sufferingstruggleevil Let us remind ourselves that if we are to be our Lord's disciples, we must take up his Cross and follow him. Basil Hume remindfollowuslord When we are truly praying, then we can begin to see Christ in our neighbour; when we are really praying, we can begin to live for the Father. Basil Hume liveseefatherchrist Our response, our attitude, depends on our realisation of God's attitude toward us. If I experience love or have experienced it, this is the means whereby I can explore the mystery of God's love. Basil Hume experiencegodattitudelove It is not because we are drawn to prayer that we first begin to pray; more often, we have to begin prayer, and then the taste and the desire for it come. Basil Hume moretasteprayerdesire In my opinion, it is a mistake to expect in prayer a response from God. Often, God's response is outside prayer. And often, we do not link up an outside response with the effort we put into prayer. Basil Hume effortprayergodmistake We are blind: we cannot see God with our senses, and our deductions from what we know or are thinking about the word of God itself - how little power they have to bring us to God! We are blind, and our eyes need the touch of our Lord's hand to enable us at times to even see dimly. Basil Hume eyespowergodthinking The experience of prayer when there is no awareness of God and no apparent response from ourselves should not lead us to escape from prayer or give it up. Basil Hume escapeexperienceprayergod Even though you find yourself in an intolerable position, one in which you think you have no right to be, accept it here and now as the Cross; then, later, you can plan how to do better. Basil Hume yourselfbetterthinkyou It is axiomatic that the Cross we get is the one we most dislike: we would choose any other. But it is equally true that the Cross which is ours is the one Christ wants us to bear. Basil Hume chooseustruedislike What did our Lord do by his Passion, Death, and Resurrection? He bridged that gulf which exists between God and man, a gulf which can only be bridged by him. Basil Hume manpassiongoddeath Behind every crucifix stands our risen Lord. Hidden in every suffering and pain is the joy of closer union with him. His is the victory. He invites us to share it. Basil Hume victorypainsufferingjoy
