The venerable Russell Shaw — in his review of my new book, The Resilient Church: The Glory, The Shame, and the Hope for Tomorrow — quoted Pope Benedict. One discerning reader liked the quote and wondered where it came from. Since you, too, are a discerning reader, I’ll post the passage for you, in context:

Indeed, God is visible in a number of ways. In the love-story recounted by the Bible, he comes towards us, he seeks to win our hearts, all the way to the Last Supper, to the piercing of his heart on the Cross, to his appearances after the Resurrection and to the great deeds by which, through the activity of the Apostles, he guided the nascent Church along its path. Nor has the Lord been absent from subsequent Church history: he encounters us ever anew, in the men and women who reflect his presence…

It’s from the encyclical letter Deus Caritas Est, n. 17.

Oh, and here’s that book cover again. I do like it …