Pope Paul VI (1897-1978AD)
Mini-Bio: pope: (1963-1978) Italian; Reconvened Vatican II, and implemented many of its reforms. Became the first pope in over 150 years to leave Italy. He enlarged the college of cardinals. Reaffirmed the church's ban on contraception.
" Our evangelizing zeal must spring from true holiness of life. In addition, as the Second Vatican Council suggests, preaching must in its turn make the preacher grow in holiness, which is nourished by prayer and by love for the Eucharist." Pope Paul VI
" At this point, the drama is either "Yes" or "No" for the modern generation that has shown that it has understood the possibility and happiness of an encounter with Christ. Christ is speaking from His crib, "Blest are they who hear the Word of God and keep it." (Luke 11:28)" Pope Paul VI
"The Church reminds us and admonishes us: Christians, be conscious of your state; Christians, be consistent; Christians, be faithful; Christians, be strong. In a word, Christians, be Christians!" Pope Paul VI
"preach the Gospel of forgiveness seems absurd to human politics, because in the natural economy, justice does not often permit forgiveness. But in the Christian economy, it is not absurd. Difficult, yes, but not absurd." Pope Paul VI
" Be firm in rejecting injustice! Be strong in conceiving and accomplishing gestures of equity, humanity, and peace, gestures that will unravel the tangles skin of violence. Humanity expects this service from you: it is your honor and your duty. " Pope Paul VI
" In order to become apostles, as the Church wishes us all to be today, there is need of a deep love for Christ, a personal love, a true love, and a full love. The apostolate is an overflowing of love, an outburst of love, turning into witness and action." Pope Paul VI
" Death understood as the complete and final annihilation of our being, does not exist, especially for us believers. We already have our place in the Mystical Body of Christ, destined for resurrection and, God willing, eternal life. This is the truth" Pope Paul VI
" We ask you to go out to meet poor Lazarus, in his hunger and misery. Make yourself his neighbor; so that he can recognize in your eyes, the eyes of Christ welcoming him, and in your hands, the hands of the Lord sharing His gifts." Pope Paul VI
" To live the Christian life well there is need of continual repairing of recurring reforms, of repeated renewals. The Christian life is not soft or easy. It is not blindly optimistic. It is joyous but it is not happy-go-lucky." Pope Paul VI
" Brother Martin has three loves: Christ crucified, Our Lady of the Rosary, and St. Dominic. He also had three passions: charity, especially toward the poor and the sick; a very vigorous penance that he regarded as "the price of love". And nourishing these virtues, humility." Pope Paul VI
"Christians need human examples in order to better follow God. Let us not overlook this most effective means to holiness, that of following the examples of those who preceded us." Pope Paul VI
" A new era is unfolding of faithfulness to the Holy Spirit, of love of the crucified Christ, of dedication to one's brothers and sisters, of the building up of a more human and just society. We do not want to lag behind. Forward, in the Name of the Lord." Pope Paul VI
"Change must be judged not so much for its own sake as for its content, its finality. Is the "new of today" leading us to a really better Christianity?" Pope Paul VI
"Humankind has more than the right to peace. It has also the right that all should pledge themselves to get rid of the causes that foment conflicts within a nation and between nations." Pope Paul VI
"The family must be a great school of piety, spirituality, and religious fidelity. The Church has great trust in the delicate, authoritative, and irreplaceable religious teaching supplied by parents. " Pope Paul VI
"Faith humiliates our pride of imagined self-sufficiency and at the same time opens our hearts to the immense and exalting proportions of the revealing Word of God. On the threshold of the crib, of the Gospel, of salvation stands faith." Pope Paul VI
" Christ is our Savior; He is the head of our immense body that is maturing: believing and redeemed humanity: the Church. It is He Who pardons us and enables us to do things greater than ourselves. He is the defender of the poor and the consoler of the suffering." Pope Paul VI
" Observe the panorama of the firmament and the world; measure if you can, their vastness. Affirm the incredible distinction between the Creator and the created world. At the same time, recognize, confess, and celebrate the unshakable necessity that unites creation with its Creator." Pope Paul VI
" No matter where we look, no matter how we strive, if we wander far from God, we will not enjoy nature's tranquility, nor harmony and peace of soul. We will be restless and harassed, as though tossed by fever." Pope Paul VI
" Change your thoughts, your tastes according to the will of God. Correct those faults that we often boast of as our principles and qualities. Search for a continual interior uprightness of feelings and resolutions. Let yourselves really be guided by the love of God and by the love of your neighbor." Pope Paul VI
" We have our individual personal duty to be good. That does not mean to be weak. It means to be capable of breaking the sad logical chain of evil by patience and forgiveness. It means to love, that is, to be Christians."
" I call. I call you. I know that this is bold of me, maybe even vain, possibly a bit inconvenient. But I must call out as Jesus did: Come with me. This is to ask for a precious gift, the gift of yourself to the Lord, a sacrifice without limitations." Pope Paul VI
" Hope which is the gaze of the Church turned toward the future, fills her heart, and tells us how it is throbbing in new and loving expectation. The Church is not old, she is ancient. Time does not subdue her; it rejuvenates her." Pope Paul VI
" If fear of God is taken away from the soul, the word holiness, the supreme perfection of our being, no longer has any meaning. In addition, the word sin, which is an absurd violation of Divine Law, no longer has any meaning." Pope Paul VI
" The world expects from us simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity to all, especially the lowly and poor, obedience, humility, detachment and self-sacrifice. Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the hearts of people today." Pope Paul VI
" Be the defenders of human life, whenever it is threatened. Be such particularly of those who are helpless, or when recourse to war does not seem justified by an absolute necessity of justice."
" Holiness reveals itself in the last analysis as fullness of life, boundless happiness, and immersion in the light of Christ and God. It is also an inebriating foretaste of the Communion of Saints, that is, of the living Church who is the Lord's, both in time and in eternity." Pope Paul VI
" How do we picture Christ? What does Jesus seem to be like at first sight? Once again, His own words help us. He said, "I am meek and humble of heart." This is how Jesus wishes to be seen. " Pope Paul VI
" Christians must restore their spiritual and moral unity. It is not enough to say we are Christians. We must live as Christians. Genuine Christians derive the rule, style, and strength of their life from the Faith." Pope Paul VI
" The coming of the Holy Spirit does not take the Cross away from human reality. It is not a talisman that immunizes human life from suffering and misfortunes. " Pope Paul VI
" If the Church is able to enter a preparation for the perennial coming of the Holy Spirit, He, the "Light of hearts," will not hesitate to come. He will give Himself for the joy, the light, the fortitude, the apostolic virtue, and the unitive charity that the Church needs today. " Pope Paul VI
" The Eucharist is the privileged summit of the meeting of Christ's love for us; a love that is made available for each of us, a love that is made to be sacrificial lamb and food for our hunger for life. As the Apostle say, "He loved me and gave Himself up for me." Pope Paul VI
" Every apostolate is an action of Christ Himself; it cannot be exercised except under the impulse of the Spirit. The Spirit searches out the deep things of God. The Spirit also arouses in us an ineffable prayer and continues the salvific action of Christ through the Church's members." Pope Paul VI
" In humanity beauty produces love; in Christ love precedes and produces the beauty of the Church, that is, the beauty of humanity loved and redeemed by Christ, and thus brought back to its original perfection. The Church, ablaze with Christ's Spirit, is like a bright lamp." Pope Paul VI
" Let us restore in ourselves the right awareness of sin, which is not frightening. The awareness of good will grows in opposition to the awareness of evil. The sense of responsibility will grow, rising from inner moral judgment and widening to the sense of our duties, personal, social, and religious." Pope Paul VI
" On this feast of the glorious Assumption of Mary we celebrate the glorification of her immaculate soul and of her virginal body, of her perfect conformity to the risen Christ. This is the same glorification and destiny of those whose Christ made His brothers and sisters."Pope Paul VI
"Extol the concept of the family, with consciousness of its being, its function, and its destiny, as a community of love, as the dispenser of God's creative power. Extol it as the sign and the outpouring of the charity with which Christ loves and continues to love us." Pope Paul VI
"Sometimes, in the anxiety of our modern mentality to get things done, we are inclined to consider prayer as an obstacle to action, as if they were competing for time. In fact, action and prayer must be complementary." Pope Paul VI
"Work is a fundamental part of our earthly life. It often involves heavy fatigue and even suffering, but it can also forge strong character and vigorous personality. It can be the means by which we build up the world according to the values in which we believe." Pope Paul VI
" Liberty and authority are not opposing terms, but values that complement each other. Their mutual cooperation fosters growth of the community and of the capacities for initiative and enrichment of individual values."Pope Paul VI
"A man and a woman who love each other, the smile of a child, peace in the home: a sermon without words, but so wonderfully convincing. In them everyone can glimpse, as through a transparency, the reflection of another love and its infinite call."Pope Paul VI
" Christ belongs to you! Do not be afraid anymore -- not even of the Cross, His Cross that He will share with you. The royal triumph of Jesus leads to the Cross. But, we repeat, do not be afraid: in this way life, true life will be assured for you tomorrow." Pope Paul VI
" Let no one be under any delusion. Christ is demanding. Christ's life is the narrow way. To be worthy of Him, we must take up our cross. It is not enough to be religious; it is necessary to carry out the Divine Will in actual fact." Pope Paul VI
" Do not remain passive when the dignity and honor of the human person are threatened. This threat is due to violence, economic exploitation, and the decay of morals, of which our permissive society too often gives a sorry display." Pope Paul VI
" Our religion, which is truth, is Divine reality in human history. It cannot be discovered or invented. It is received and, ancient though it is, it is always alive, always new." Pope Paul VI
"Jesus became a baby, He became poor, He became a victim, so that no one might feel that He was above or distant; He placed himself at the feet of all. Jesus is for all, He belongs to all, and indeed to each of us individually." Pope Paul VI
" Our world is suffering in the icy grip of selfishness and fever. It needs to feel the certainty that renews and confirms forever the great work of the Covenant: "The Lord choose you, the Lord loves you." Pope Paul VI
" Love alone makes Jesus the Savior. Only through the ways of love can we approach Him, imitate Him, and bring Him into our souls. Only through the ways of love can we bring Him into the ever dramatic vicissitudes of human history." Pope Paul VI
"Hear the voice of Christ, calling you to join His workers: invest life with a direction, by making your own the concern of the Church for the elevation and progress of people. The Church fully understands the yearnings of your generous heart." Pope Paul VI
"It could be said that the Cross, its awful scene, its shameful story, would create an emptiness around itself, would repel the contemplation of humans. Instead, however the Cross attracts. Jesus Himself predicted it: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to Myself." Pope Paul VI
"Faithfulness is the reason for living. It is not a chain restraining the boldness of talent and love. When it consists of adherence to our creed, which never ages and never is exhausted, it opens a path to order, always positive, strong and happy." Pope Paul VI
"An apostle who wants to be yeast for society must follow the most necessary precondition for yeast to be effective. Such an apostle must take care to remain part of the mass." Pope Paul VI
"The love that comes from the Eucharist is a love that radiates in the fusion of hearts, in affection, in union, in forgiveness. It makes for the sake of others, for the little ones, the poor, the sick, prisoners, exiles, the suffering"Pope Paul VI
"The real Church is being born today in the faithfulness and boldness of the Spirit, in the unity of Christ's Body. We do not ask you to praise her a priori, but to give these positive facts the place they deserve. Like the Lord, we say to you: Come and see." Pope Paul VI
"Ideals, if they are authentic, if they are human, are not dreams: they are duties, especially for us Christians. The more the sounds of the storm disturb the horizon of our history, the more such ideals must grip our attention. And ideals are energies; they are hopes." Pope Paul VI
" In the Divine Master's school we shall all remember to love poverty and the poor. We shall love the poor in order to devote special interest to them, whether they be persons, classes, or nations in need of love and aid." Pope Paul VI
"Pray like Jesus. Pray intently. Pray today, always in the confident communion that prayer has established between us and the Father. Because it is to a father, it is to the Father that our humble voice is addressed." Pope Paul VI
"Christ did not found an abstract religion, a mere school of religious thought. He setup a community of apostles, of teachers, with the task of spreading His message and so giving rise to a society of believers: His Church. He promised the Spirit of truth to His Church and then sent Him." Pope Paul VI
"How sweet, how consoling it is for us who wish to walk in the footsteps of the Lord to have before us Mary, her image, her remembrance, her kindness, her humility and purity, her greatness. How close to us the Gospel is in the power that Mary personifies and radiates with human and superhuman splendor."Pope Paul VI
"The fundamental lesson, of humility is that it neither wipes away the greatness of Christ nor reduces to nothingness our poor merit. Humility is a moral attitude that does not destroy the values to which it is applied; it is a way to recognize and regain them." Pope Paul VI
" Jesus is the center of history and of all things. He is the One Who knows us and loves us, the Companion and Friend of our life, a Man of sorrow and of hope. "Pope Paul VI
" The rearing and education of children should be the joint task of the father and mother, and there is certainly progress to be made in order that men should take their part in this task to a greater degree. But it is only too clear that the role of the woman remains an essential one." Pope Paul VI
" All are called to holiness, and it is possible to all. It is an invitation from the heart of God the Father Who sanctifies and divinizes us through the grace merited by Christ. This grace is sustained by His Spirit, nourished by the Sacraments, and transmitted by the Church." Pope Paul VI
"We must not be afraid of finding ourselves one day in a minority if we are faithful. We must not be embarrassed by unpopularity if we are consistent. We must not care about being defeated if we are witnesses to truth and to the freedom of the children of God." Pope Paul VI
"The Good News is this: that God loves us. He became human to share in our life and to share His life with us. He walks with us every step of the way, taking our concerns as His own, for He cares about us." Pope Paul VI
"It is love that led Christ to serve, to give His life as a ransom for many. The word "to serve" no longer means an insupportable degradation of the human being's dignity. In the sense Christ gave it, service acquires the highest moral value -- dominion of self, heroism, sacrifice, and boundless love" Pope Paul VI
"The Heart of Christ still beats. It unites millions of other hearts. The Church sees the beauty of these hearts, which will surely proclaim a spiritual acceleration in our modern world." Pope Paul VI
"Christians must share in the task of building up the city, creating new modes of neighborliness and relationship. They must also perceive an original application of social justice and undertake responsibility for this collective future." Pope Paul VI
" Christian renunciation is an authentic way of Christian life. It implies a hierarchical classification of its goods and it stimulates us to choose the better part. It gives us practice in self-control, and it establishes a mysterious economy of expiation, which makes us participants in Christ's redemption." Pope Paul VI
" Do not seek to be numbered among the learned and clever whose numbers seem destined by the combination of circumstances to increase. Be truly poor, meek, eager for holiness, merciful, pure of heart. Be among those who bring to the world the peace of God." Pope Paul VI
" The world is often closed in its riches or its power, corroded by conflicts, and drunk with violence or sexual release. It is faith that bestows a liberation and puts the individual's faculties in order." Pope Paul VI
" It we are to respect people in their integrity, we must educate them to do good with a sense of responsibility; with a capacity for self-discipline and also with the external help of law and authority." Pope Paul VI
" Our human brothers and sisters need to meet others radiant with serenity, joy, hope, and charity, in spite of the hardships and contradictions that overtake them. To be a witness to God's power operating in human frailty is not to alienate humanity, but to propose to it ways to freedom.'" Pope Paul VI
"People today more willingly listen to witnesses than to teachers. If they do listen to teachers, it is because these teachers are also witnesses." Pope Paul VI
" Being a Christian is not a secondary, questionable, changeable thing; it is not a subjective ideology. It is truth that happily transfigures and vivifies. The truth will make you free." Pope Paul VI
" It is He, it is only He Who can quench the deep and mysterious thirst of your spirits. Jesus, Jesus; He is the light and salvation of the world and each of us." Pope Paul VI
"Authority is a duty, a burden, a debt, a ministry to others, to lead them to the life of God. It is a channel, an obligatory, necessary, but saving channel, and it is called the care of souls. This is the pastoral function." Pope Paul VI
"Christ's love for us: behold the Eucharist! Love that gives itself, love that remains, love that communicates itself, love that multiples itself, love that sacrifices itself. The Eucharist is the love that unites us and the love that saves us." Pope Paul VI
"The person who has been evangelized goes on to evangelize others. It is unthinkable that people should accept the Word and give themselves to the Kingdom without becoming persons who bear witness to it and proclaim it in turn." Pope Paul VI
"Jesus is the joy of the earth; He is the physician of every human infirmity. He is personified in every person who suffers, arousing compassion and generous love. Jesus, therefore, is present always and everywhere." Pope Paul VI
"The Church is the unifying effect of the love of Christ for us. She can herself be considered a living sign, a Sacrament of unity and of love. To love is her mission." Pope Paul VI
"Let us strive to be true Catholics, convinced Catholics, unwavering Catholics, and good Catholics. Ours cannot be a watered down, approximate and camouflaged Catholicism. Above all, it cannot be a Catholicism that implies denying by our behavior what will bring us and our Separated Brethren mutually closer." Pope Paul VI
"Prayer is the breath of the Mystical Body, it's conversation with God, the expression of its love and it's striving toward the Father." Pope Paul VI
"Time is a gift from God; it is a question posed by God's love to our free and fateful answer. We must be sparing of time in order to use it well in the intense activity of our life of work, love, and suffering. Idleness or boredom has no place in the life of a Christian." Pope Paul VI
"Every believer ought to be an active member of the Church. Every Catholic lay person is invested with the right and has the duty to work in order to testify to and spread the Kingdom of God." Pope Paul VI
"All the pure in heart are, in a certain sense, mystics, because, as Christ proclaimed, they are candidates to "see God." But we should all be pure in heart, all good, simple, and childlike. We should all be able to want, be able to yearn, be able to receive."Pope Paul VI
"The Church reaffirms the religious and supernatural values of penitence. She invites everyone to accompany the inner conversion of the spirit with the voluntary exercise of external acts of penitence...." Pope Paul VI
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" Holiness reveals itself in the last analysis as fullness of life, boundless happiness, and immersion in the light of Christ and God. It is also an inebriating foretaste of the Communion of Saints, that is, of the living Church who is the Lord's, both in time and in eternity."Pope Paul VI