St. Paul would say to the philosophers that God created man so that he would seek the Divine, try to attain the Divine. That is why all pre-Christian philosophy is theological at its summit. Hans Urs von Balthasar More Quotes by Hans Urs von Balthasar More Quotes From Hans Urs von Balthasar Even if a unity of faith is not possible, a unity of love is. Hans Urs von Balthasar unity faith love Hence the importance of patience in the New Testament, which becomes the basic constituent of Christianity, more central even than humility: the power to wait, to persevere, to hold out, to endure to the end, not to transcend one's own limitations, not to force issues by playing the hero or the titan, but to practice the virtue that lies beyond heroism, the meekness of the Lamb which is led. Hans Urs von Balthasar humility hero lying Being disguised under the disfigurement of an ugly crucifixion and death, the Christ upon the cross is paradoxically the clearest revelation of who God is. Hans Urs von Balthasar who-god-is ugly christ When you say Yes to God unconditionally, you have no idea how far this Yes is going to take you. Certainly farther than you can guess and calculate beforehand... but just how far and in what form? At the same time, this Yes is the sole, non-negotiable prerequisite of all Christian understanding, of all theology and ecclesial wisdom. Hans Urs von Balthasar inspiration christian faith Without Easter, Good Friday would have no meaning. Without Easter, there would be no hope that suffering and abandonment might be tolerable. But with Easter, a way out becomes visible for human sorrows, an absolute future: more than a hope, a divine expectation. Hans Urs von Balthasar friday spiritual god Lovers are the ones who know most about God; the theologian must listen to them. Hans Urs von Balthasar theologian lovers knows The greatest tragedy in the history of Christianity was neither the Crusades nor the Reformation nor the Inquisition, but rather the split that opened up between theology and spirituality at the end of the Middle Ages. Hans Urs von Balthasar spirituality splits age We no longer dare to believe in beauty and we make of it a mere appearance in order the more easily to dispose of it. Our situation today shows that beauty demands for itself at least as much courage and decision as do truth and goodness, and she will not allow herself to be separated and banned from her two sisters without taking them along with herself in an act of mysterious vengeance. We can be sure that whoever sneers at her name as if she were the ornament of a bourgeois past -- whether he admits it or not -- can no longer pray and soon will no longer be able to love. Hans Urs von Balthasar order believe past Only in Christ are all things in communion. He is the point of convergence of all hearts and beings and therefore the bridge and the shortest way from each to each. Hans Urs von Balthasar bridges heart way A truth that is merely handed on, without being thought anew from its very foundations, has lost its vital power. Hans Urs von Balthasar foundation lost Our situation today shows that beauty demands for itself at least as much courage and decision as do truth and goodness, and she will not allow herself to be separated and banned from her two sisters without taking them along with herself in an act of mysterious vengeance. Hans Urs von Balthasar demand decision two 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 Balthasar easter christian jesus There will never be beings unloved by God, since God is absolute love. Hans Urs von Balthasar being-unloved absolute-love absolutes Whoever removes the Cross and its interpretation by the New Testament from the center, in order to replace it, for example, with the social commitment of Jesus to the oppressed as a new center, no longer stands in continuity with the apostolic faith. Hans Urs von Balthasar order commitment jesus There is much in Christianity which can be subjected to exact analysis. But the ultimate things are shrouded in the silent mysteries of God. Hans Urs von Balthasar analysis mystery christianity Hell is to be contemplated strictly as a matter which concerns me alone. As part of the spiritual life it belongs behind the 'closed door' of my own room. From the standpoint of living faith, I cannot fundamentally believe in anyone's damnation but my own; as far as my neighbor is concerned, the light of resurrection can never be so obscured that I would be allowed or obliged to stop hoping for him. Hans Urs von Balthasar spiritual doors believe The Holy Spirit knows what a particular age's most pressing need is far better than men with their programs. Hans Urs von Balthasar inspiration faith men The Christian response is contained in these two fundamental dogmas: that of the Trinity and that of the Incarnation. In the trinitarian dogma God is one, good, true, and beautiful because he is essentially Love, and Love supposes the one, the other, and their unity. Hans Urs von Balthasar christian beautiful two To be a child means to owe one's existence to another, and even in our adult life we never quite reach the point where we no longer have to give thanks for being the person we are. Hans Urs von Balthasar giving mean children The inner reality of love can be recognized only by love. Hans Urs von Balthasar reality-of-love reality
