Monday, October 12, 2009

More From Hans Urs Von Balthasar

From the theologian who shaped the thinking of Pope Benedict XVI

"The revelation which Christian theology set itself to study was the disclosure of a beauty beyond all worldly beauty in the supreme artwork of Jesus Christ; in it the transcendent beauty—in biblical language, the glory of the ever greater God came to expression"

"the Beautiful, graciously manifesting itself, (and) becomes the incarnated Word, electing those to whom it can communicate itself"

"Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves" (Gen 1:26). God, the Master artist intends to form, to shape us into his image. God's aesthetic "forming," his divine art receives our cooperation "only when man refrains from resisting the Potter's hand"

Neither faith, contemplation nor kerygma can dispense us from action. And the libretto of God's saving drama which we call Holy Scripture is worthless in itself unless, in the Holy Spirit it is constantly mediating the drama beyond and the drama here

"the main agents involved in the production of theo- drama, are God, the human person and the God-man. On the world stage, God is the "One responsible for the play"

"Christ's act of creating space in himself for God is not self-mastery, but is itself already obedience, an obedience willing to take on whatever task the 'ever greater Father' gives."

-Hans Urs Von Balthasar Click here to BRIDGE TO BALTHASAR a great resource

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