Gustavo Gutierrez Quotes & Sayings

History is no longer as it was for the Greeks, an anamnesis, a remembrance. It is rather a thrust into the future. — Gustavo Gutierrez

But there is one thing that is privileged to be a paradoxical sign of God, in relation to which men are able to manifest their deepest commitment
our Neighbor. The sacrament of our Neighbor!'
Congar — Gustavo Gutierrez

The imbalance between developed and underdeveloped countries - caused by the relationships of dependence - becomes more acute if the cultural point of view is taken into consideration. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Theology is reflection, a critical attitude. The commitment of love, of service, comes first. Theology follows; it is the second step. — Gustavo Gutierrez

So you say you love the poor? Name them. — Gustavo Gutierrez

As we progress, various shades of meaning and deeper levels of understanding will complement this initial effort. — Gustavo Gutierrez

The building of a just society means overcoming every obstacle to the creation of authentic peace. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Is the Church fulfilling a purely religious role when by its silence or friendly relationships it lends legitimacy to dictatorial and oppressive government? — Gustavo Gutierrez

In the final analysis, poverty means death: lack of food and housing, the inability to attend properly to health and education needs, the exploitation of workers, permanent unemployment, the lack of respect for one's human dignity, and unjust limitations placed on personal freedom in the areas of self-expression, politics, and religion. — Gustavo Gutierrez

The denunciation of injustice implies the rejection of the use of Christianity to legitimize the established order. — Gustavo Gutierrez

In the Bible poverty is a scandalous condition inimical to human dignity and therefore contrary to the will of God. — Gustavo Gutierrez

If I define my neighbor as the one I must go out to look for, on the highways and byways, in the factories and slums, on the farms and in the mines, then my world changes. — Gustavo Gutierrez

The complete encounter with the Lord will mark an end to history, but it will take place in history. — Gustavo Gutierrez

[Neighbor is] not he whom I find in my path, but rather he in whose path I place myself, he whom I approach and actively seek. — Gustavo Gutierrez

The theory of dependence will take the wrong path and lead to deception if the analysis is not put within the framework of the worldwide class struggle. — Gustavo Gutierrez

But the poor person does not exist as an inescapable fact of destiny. His or her existence is not politically neutral, and it is not ethically innocent. The poor are a by-product of the system in which we live and for which we are responsible. They are marginalized by our social and cultural world. They are the oppressed, exploited proletariat, robbed of the fruit of their labor and despoiled of their humanity. Hence the poverty of the poor is not a call to generous relief action, but a demand that we go and build a different social order. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Faith is not limited to affirming the existence of God. No, faith tells us that God loves us and demands a loving response. This response is given through love for human beings, and that is what we mean by a commitment to God and to our neighbor. — Gustavo Gutierrez

We take it for granted that Jesus was not interested in political life: his mission was purely religious. Indeed we have witnessed ... the 'iconization' of the life of Jesus: 'This is a Jesus of hieratic, stereotyped gestures, all representing theological themes. In this way, the life of Jesus is no longer a human life, submerged in history, but a theological life
an icon. — Gustavo Gutierrez

The world today is experiencing a profound and rapid socio-cultural transformation. But the changes do not occur at a uniform pace, and the discrepancies in the change process have differentiated the various countries and regions of our planet. — Gustavo Gutierrez

There is no authentic evangelization that is not accompanied by action in behalf of the poor. — Gustavo Gutierrez

There are not two histories, one profane and one sacred, 'juxtaposed' or 'closely linked.' Rather there is only one human destiny. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Through the persons who explicitly accept his Word, the Lord reveals the world to itself. — Gustavo Gutierrez

The God of Exodus is the God of history and of political liberation more than he is the God of nature. — Gustavo Gutierrez

The Exodus from Egypt, the home of sacred monarchy, reinforces this idea [desacralization of creation]: it is the 'desacralization' of social praxis ... In Egypt, work is alienated and, far from building a just society, contributes rather to increasing injustice and to widening the gap between exploiters and exploited. — Gustavo Gutierrez

So true is this that if we do not respond to the demands of the present, because we do not know in advance whither we may be led, we are simply refusing to hear the call of Jesus Christ. We are refusing to open to him when he knocks on the door and invites us to sup with him. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Christendom is not primarily a mental construct. It is above all a fact, indeed the longest historical experience the Church has had. Hence the deep impact it has made on its life and thought. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Man is saved if he opens himself to God and to others, even if he is not clearly aware that he is doing so. This is valid for Christians and non-Christians alike
for all people ... We can no longer speak properly of a profane world. A qualitative and intensive approach replaces a quantitative and extensive one. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Liberation from every form of exploitation, the possibility of a more human and dignified life, the creation of a new humankind - all pass through this struggle. — Gustavo Gutierrez

The unqualified affirmation of the univeral will of salvation has radically changed the way of conceiving the mission of the Church in the world ... The work of salvation is a reality which occurs in history. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Reason has, especially today, many other manifestations than philosophical ones. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Human history is in truth nothing but the history of the slow, uncertain, and surprising fulfillment of the Promise. — Gustavo Gutierrez

The future of history belongs to the poor and exploited. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Since the Enlightenment, the political order is an order of freedom. The political structures are no longer given, previous to man's freedom, but are rather realities based on freedom, taken on and modified by man ... This new definition of politics carefully distinguishes between state and society. The distinction ... allows us to differentiate between the public sphere of the state of the Church (or the combination of them) as powers from the public sphere 'in which the interests of all men as a social group are expressed. — Gustavo Gutierrez

To hope does not mean to know the future, but rather to be open, in an attitude of spiritual childhood, to accepting it as a gift. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Although until recently the Church was closely linked to the established order, it is beginning to take a different attitude regarding the exploitation, oppression, and alienation which prevails in Latin America. This has caused concern among the beneficiaries and defenders of capitalist society, who no longer can depend on what used to be - whether consciously or unconsciously - one of their mainstays. — Gustavo Gutierrez

If there is no friendship with them [the poor] and no sharing of the life of the poor, then there is no authentic commitment to liberation, because love exists only among equals. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Charity is today a 'political charity.' ... it means the transformation of a society structured to benefit a few who appropriate to themselves the value of the work of others. This transformation ought to be directed toward a radical change in the foundation of society, that is, the private ownership of the means of production. — Gustavo Gutierrez

Once causes are determined, then there is talk of "social injustice" and the privileged begin to resist. — Gustavo Gutierrez