"Love now becomes concern and care for the other. No longer is it self-seeking, a sinking in the intoxication of happiness; instead it seeks the good of the beloved: it becomes renunciation, and it is readily, and even willing for sacrifice." Source: Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love: Deus Caritas Est, Ignatius Press, 2006. [...]
"By praying the Psalms, the Scripture readings and the readings drawn from the great tradition which are included in the Divine Office, we can come to a deeper experience of the Christ-event and the economy of salvation, which in turn can enrich our understanding and participation in the celebration of the Eucharist." Source: Pope [...]
"Let us take a look at the pre-Christian world… Eros was thus celebrated as divine power, as fellowship with the Divine… The Old Testament firmly opposed this form of religion, which represents a powerful temptation against monotheistic faith, combating it as a perversion of religiosity. But it in no way rejected eros as such; rather, [...]
"In the bread and wine that we bring to the altar, all creation is taken up by Christ the Redeemer to be transformed and presented to the Father." Source: Pope Benedict XVI, SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS (Sacrament of Charity), 2/22/2007
"The tendency to avoid the word eros, together with the new vision of love expressed through the word agape, clearly point to something new and distinct about the Christian understanding of love." Source: Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love: Deus Caritas Est, Ignatius Press, 2006.
"In this sacramental context of Christian revelation, knowledge and study of the word of God enable us better to appreciate, celebrate and live the Eucharist. Here too, we can see how true it is that 'ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ'." Source: Pope Benedict XVI, SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS (Sacrament of Charity), 2/22/2007 [...]
"Cannot the Church leave this service to the great variety of other philanthropic organization? The answer is No, the Church cannot do this. She must practice love for neighbor as a community, too, or she would proclaim the God of love in an incomplete and insufficient way." Source: Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love: Deus Caritas [...]
"Let us note straight away that the Greek Old Testament uses the word eros only twice, while the New Testament does not use it at all: of the three Greek words for love, eros, philia (the love of friendship) and agape, New Testament writers prefer the last, which occurs rather infrequently in Greek usage." [...]
"God's love for us is fundamental for our lives, and it raises important questions about who God is and who we are. In considering this, we immediately find ourselves hampered by a problem of language. Today, the term 'love' has become one of the most frequently used and misused words, a word to which we [...]
“Every celebration of the Eucharist, in fact, is led by the Bishop, ‘either in person or through priests who are his helpers.’” Source: Pope Benedict XVI, SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS (Sacrament of Charity), 2/22/2007