Hans Urs von Balthasar Quotes

A collection of quotes by Hans Urs von Balthasar.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) was a Swiss Catholic theologian and priest, considered one of the most important and influential figures in 20th-century Catholic theology. Born in Lucerne, Switzerland, he entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1923 and was ordained a priest in 1936.

Von Balthasar's theological work spanned a wide range of topics, including the mystery of God, Christology, Mariology, and the theology of beauty. He sought to integrate philosophy, literature, art, and spirituality into his theological reflections, emphasizing the unity of truth, goodness, and beauty.

Throughout his career, von Balthasar published numerous books and articles, delving into various aspects of Christian theology. His most significant work is considered to be his multi-volume theological trilogy "The Glory of the Lord," in which he explores the nature of God's beauty and the relationship between God and humanity.

Von Balthasar also played an influential role in the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), contributing to the drafting of several key documents. His theological insights centered on the importance of the Church's mission in the modern world, the need for ecumenical dialogue, and the renewal of liturgical practices.

Recognized for his depth of thought and his commitment to integrating faith with contemporary culture, Hans Urs von Balthasar remains a highly regarded figure in Catholic theology, inspiring theologians, clergy, and laypeople alike.

The Christian response is contained in these two fundamental

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

If God wishes to reveal the love that he harbors for the wor

If God wishes to reveal the love that he harbors for the world, this love has to be something that the world can recognize, in spite of, or in fact in, its being wholly other.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

What you are is God's gift to you, what you become is your g

What you are is God's gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

God Spirituality Philosophy Inspirational Christianity Christian Living Gift Catholicism

The inner reality of love can be recognized only by love.

The inner reality of love can be recognized only by love.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

To be sure, the response of faith to revelation, which God g

To be sure, the response of faith to revelation, which God grants to the creature he chooses and moves with his love, occurs in such a way that it is truly the creature that provides the response, with its own nature and its natural powers of love.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

Our situation today shows that beauty demands for itself at

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

The one function that TV news performs very well is that whe

The one function that TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were.

Even if a unity of faith is not possible, a unity of love is

Even if a unity of faith is not possible, a unity of love is.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

Beauty is the disinterested one, without which the ancient w

Beauty is the disinterested one, without which the ancient world refused to understand itself, a word which both imperceptibly and yet unmistakably has bid farewell to our new world, a world of interests, leaving it to its own avarice and sadness.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

Not longer loved or fostered by religion, beauty is lifted f

Not longer loved or fostered by religion, beauty is lifted from its face as a mask, and its absence exposes features on that face which threaten to become incomprehensible to man.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

But the issue is not only life and death but our existence b

But the issue is not only life and death but our existence before God and our being judged by him. All of us were sinners before him and worthy of condemnation.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

We no longer dare to believe in beauty and we make of it a m

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.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

Whoever removes the Cross and its interpretation by the New

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