Final Tribute to Professor Ratzinger

The origins of this blog came from a gripping desire to share what we have learned over the years about the seamless compatibility between faith & reason, and how this is realized in the Catholic faith as an accurate model of our world; our cup ranneth-over and spilled into this blog, so to speak.

For me, the cup’s tipping point came after I had read “Introduction to Christianity” by (then) Father Ratzinger. A series of posts based on insights from that book can be easily found by clicking “Professor Ratzinger” in the left column blog tags or HERE. Between you, me and the blogosphere, my personal favorite is “Professor Ratzingeron Modern Physics” (blew me away).

And now the Pope is resigning and we’ll need to say goodbye. I did not imagine that the first post, which was a tribute to B16 seven years on would not lead to a completed eighth year, but it is comforting to know that “seven” is a number that represents completeness or perfection in scripture. As one last post, here are a few quotes from that book that I double starred and highlighted, but never incorporated into a full post. Maybe I will someday, but for now I’ll just share them as a tribute to this amazing man.

Ø  On Christian Sacrifice:

“Christian sacrifice does not consist in a giving of what God would not have without us, but in our becoming totally receptive and letting ourselves be completely taken over by him. Letting God act on us – that is Christian sacrifice.”

Ø  On the Historical Method:

“It is quite often forgotten that the full truth of history eludes documentary verification just as much as the truth of being escapes the experimental approach. So it must be said that historical science in the narrowest sense of the term not only reveals, but also conceals history.”

Ø  On Reason:

“Reason can speak about God; it must speak about God, or else it cuts itself short.”

Ø  On Being a Christian:

“Let us be blunt, even at the risk of being misunderstood: The true Christian is not the denominational party member, but he who through being a Christian has become truly human; not he who slavishly observes a system of norms, thinking as he does so only of himself, but he who has become freed to simple human goodness.”

 

Thank you good & faithful teacher!