Deeper Than Words Quotes

“Nothing is more significant in Jesus’ parables than his appeal to Common Sense. What a pity that this term has been abused to mean no more than sweet reasonableness or, worse, public opinion. Rightly understood, it means the deep awareness that all have in common and from which anything sensible must flow. We could even say that Common Sense is God’s Holy Spirit in the human heart. And here Jesus differs from the prophets. They appealed to the authority of God as standing behind them—'Thus speaks the Lord God. …' Jesus, in contrast, appeals to Common Sense, to the authority of God in the hearts of his hearers. No wonder the people felt empowered. 'This man speaks with authority,' they said, and they added, 'not like the Scribes' (Mark 1:22), not like the authorities of cultural religion. ... As the very opposite to conventional thinking, Common Sense was, and still is, subversive to authoritarian structures and intolerable to their religious as well as political representatives.”
― David Steindl-Rast, Deeper Than Words: Living the Apostles' Creed

“Is the relationship between God and Jesus Christ not unique? Of course it is. But so is yours. The relationship between God and every human being is unique and irreplaceable—in ever-new variations of the Christ theme.”
― David Steindl-Rast, Deeper Than Words: Living the Apostles' Creed

“Meaning springs from belonging.”
― David Steindl-Rast, Deeper Than Words: Living the Apostles' Creed

“The light of love shines “in the darkness” (John 1:5), in suffering, in confusion, in all that we will never understand. Love makes darkness itself shine. This opens altogether new possibilities for dealing creatively with the shadow side of reality. Words can only serve as pointers; we must put this to the test in our own dark hours. Those who have done so, those who have suffered lovingly, have discovered the transformative power of love.”
― David Steindl-Rast, Deeper Than Words: Living the Apostles' Creed

“After all, how could I be a person if Ultimate Reality were impersonal?”
― David Steindl-Rast, Deeper Than Words: Living the Apostles' Creed

“The you must be there for the I to find itself. Trust in you gives me trust in myself. In the encounter between the you and the I, faith is born. I am so truly I because I have faith in you. Only the I that comes about through faith can have faith.”
― David Steindl-Rast, Deeper Than Words: Living the Apostles' Creed