Benedict Groeschel Quotes

They said I would never live. I lived. They said I would never think. I think. They said I would never walk. I walked. They said I would never dance, but I never danced anyway.

We who believe in Divine Providence, in life after death, in salvation and resurrection; we, of all people, when faced with catastrophe, must go on with courage, faith, and hope.

even when we do not choose evil, we choose the good so half heartedly and with so many qualifications that mediocrity becomes our canonized statis quo.

I remember once in the Holy Land seeing a sign in the shape of an arrow along a road. It said, "Armageddon, 4 kilometers." If ever there was a sign that made you wonder whether you wanted to continue down a road, this was it.

Conservative” means maintaining the status quo, and I think the status quo stinks.

A belief in the immortality of the human soul, of the survival of the person beyond death, is one of the most important expressions of human hope.

The Church is a collection of poor sinners. The Catholic Church is a collection of 1.1 billion very poor sinners. That’s a lot of original sins, and it is no wonder we have trouble.

the problem is that many believe in Christ but do not truly know Him. Some even deny that there is a way to know Him, even through the dark glass of faith (see 1 Cor 13:12). This book is about knowing

Fr. Benedict Groeschel says it in his uniquely northern New Jersey way: “Celibacy means that we belong exclusively to the Lord, from our brain cells to our sperm cells.

How really hidden we all are from each other. “How are you?” “Oh, fine.” We could be dying and we would say, “Oh, fine.” When you are with the poor and you ask someone, “How are you?” and he’s dying, he says, “I’m dying. I’m scared.” In the suburbs when you ask, “How are you?” he says, “Oh, I’m fine. I have cancer of the brain, but I’m fine.

Penance (Scripture selection — Joel 2:12-13) The name of Gene Hamilton may be new to you if you are not from the archdiocese of New York or have not read A Priest Forever by Father Benedict Groeschel (published by Our Sunday Visitor in 1998). Gene was a seminarian for that archdiocese at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie. From all accounts he was a fine student, a friendly, sincere young man, eager to be a priest. He was diagnosed with cancer, and the final years of his life were a real cross for him — pain, decline, hopes way up after surgery and treatment only to have them dashed with another outbreak. In his brave struggle a saint emerged, and I use that word purposefully. In his pain, agony, and dwindling strength, a man of deep faith, indomitable hope, and genuine love arose; a seminarian of prayer, who never complained, thought more of the needs and difficulties of others than his own. A man driven by one desire: to be united with Jesus in his passion and death, hopefully, yearning to do so as a priest. There was a lot of longing for a miracle by his family, brother seminarians, friends and admirers; many, including doctors and other medical personnel, told the young man, “You’re going to beat this, Gene.” Dozens who just knew he was too good, too innocent, too pure and holy to die so young and painfully, prayed for his recovery. In January of 1997, Gene Hamilton was too ill to come on the pilgrimage here to Rome with the men from Dunwoodie. Bishop Edwin O’Brien, realistic and thoughtful man that he is, with the late Cardinal John O’Connor, approached the prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, the dicastery of the Holy See under which seminaries come, for permission to ordain