"We are threatened with a flattening-out of emotions, a grasping for what is external, a claim made on existence that...destabilizes the human soul itself to its very foundations."
Images, with their power to relativize, "...induce a general skepticism. One has the impression that one knows everything and can pass judgment on everything. But this could mean the loss of the ability to perceive the deeper dimensions of existence."
Joseph Ratzinger, A Turning Point for Europe?, San Francisco: Ignatius, 1994, 94.
"Without a friend one cannot live well, and if Jesus were not for you above all friends, you shall be sad and alone." Imitation of Christ II, 8, 18.
