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Man as God’s Microphone: 11 Quotes to Celebrate the Life and Voice of Oscar Romero

BY ISN STAFFAugust 13, 2014

1.

Each one of you has to be God’s microphone. Each one of you has to be a messenger, a prophet. The church will always exist as long as there is someone who has been baptized…Where is your baptism? You are baptized in your professions, in the fields of workers, in the market. Wherever there is someone who has been baptized, that is where the church is. There is a prophet there. Let us not hide the talent that God gave us on the day of our baptism and let us truly live the beauty and responsibility of being a prophetic people.

2.

Peace is not the product of terror or fear.
Peace is not the silence of cemeteries.
Peace is not the silent result of violent repression.
Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all.
Peace is dynamism.
Peace is generosity.
It is right and it is duty.

3.

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.

4.

I don’t want to be an anti, against anybody. I simply want to be the builder of a great affirmation: the affirmation of God,who loves us and who wants to save us.

5.

By contrast, whoever out of love for God gives oneself to the service of others will live, like the grain of wheat that dies, but only apparently… Only in undoing itself does it produce the harvest.

6.

If we are worth anything, it is not because we have more money or more talent, or more human qualities. Insofar as we are worth anything, it is because we are grafted onto Christ’s life, his cross and resurrection. That is a person’s measure.

7.

This is what we are about: We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. [attributed to Archbishop Romero]

8.

The transcendence that the church preaches is not alienation; it is not going to heaven to think about eternal life and forget about the problems on earth. It’s a transcendence from the human heart. It is entering into the reality of a child, of the poor,of those wearing rags, of the sick, of a hovel,of a shack. It is going to share with them. And from the very heart of misery, of this situation, to transcend it, to elevate it, to promote it, and to say to them, “You aren’t trash. You aren’t marginalized.” It is to say exactly the opposite, “You are valuable.”

9.

There are not two categories of people. There are not some who were born to have everything and leave others with nothing and a majority that has nothing and can’t enjoy the happiness that God has created for all. God wants a Christian society, one in which we share the good things that God has given for all of us.

10.

Here there is a challenge from Christ to the goodness of humankind. It is not enough to be good. It is not enough to not do evil. My Christianity is something more positive; it is not a negative. There are many who say, “But I don’t kill, I don’t steal, I don’t do anything bad to anyone.” That’s not enough. You are still lacking a great deal. It is not enough to be good.

11.

There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.

 

To learn more about St. Óscar Romero, please visit our

Romero resources page.

13 replies
  1. Megan Wilson-Reitz
    Megan Wilson-Reitz says:

    Hi friends! In the pursuit of truth we must sometimes disappoint. I regret to tell you that #7 is misquoted! It’s often attributed to Romero but isn’t. See here: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/archbishop_romero_prayer.cfm. However, thanks immensely for the rest of these, which have been wonderful little reflections for me to consider in these days when we’re celebrating his beatification by protesting injustice and violence in our own cities. Peace!

    Reply
  2. Jade
    Jade says:

    Oscar Romero has inspired me to become Christian and teach others about Jesus. He is my idol and I worship him everyday.

    Oh no I’m only joking I couldn’t really care less to be perfectly honest!!!!!

    Reply
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Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] “blessed” and one of my top Catholic heroes – Archbishop Oscar Romero. Picking any of his powerful and prophetic quotes and prayerfully reflecting on it is a valuable meditation for […]

  2. […] Romero, who was shot to death while giving mass. Pope Francis recently declared Romero a martyr. Romero’s final homily that Sunday morning asked soldiers in El Salvador’s army to stop massacring […]

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