We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.
Oscar RomeroRead
A church that suffers no persecution but enjoys the privileges and support of the things of the earth - beware! - is not the true church of Jesus Christ. A preaching that does not point out sin is not the preaching of the gospel. A preaching that makes sinners feel good, so that they are secured in their sinful state, betrays the gospel's call.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote warns against churches that prioritize comfort and societal approval over true spiritual integrity and the call to repentance.
Oscar Romero emphasizes that a true church must endure challenges and persecution to remain authentic to its mission. He critiques preaching that avoids addressing sin, highlighting that such an approach risks leading people away from the genuine message of the gospel, which calls for transformation and moral accountability rather than complacency in sinful behavior.
Themes
ChurchPersecutionGospelPreachingSin
In practice
Example use cases
During a sermon on the importance of addressing sin, this quote can be used to emphasize the need for authenticity in spiritual leadership.
More from Oscar Romero
All quotes →Beautiful is the moment in which we understand that we are no more than an instrument of God; we live only as long as God wants us to live; we can only do as much as God makes us able to do; we are only as intelligent as God would have us be.
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When the church hears the cry of the oppressed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises.
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Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
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A Christian's authenticity is show in difficult hours it is in difficult hours that the church grows in authenticity. Blest be God for this difficult hour in our archdiocese. Let us be worthy of it.
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The church would betray its own love for God and its fidelity to the gospel if it stopped being . . . a defender of the rights of the poor . . . a humanizer of every legitimate struggle to achieve a more just society . . . that prepares the way for the true reign of God in history.
Oscar RomeroRead
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