“To listen at prayer is to take the chance of hearing the voice of Christ in the poor, the weak, those whom we love and those whom we do not love.”

And I have found that when we Catholics, in the spirit of love and charity, declare our faith boldly and with conviction, we are more likely to find kindred spirits.

The rosary is a weapon against depression and hopelessness.

This is how we must comport ourselves if we are to fulfill our Lord’s command in the Gospel of John (17:21), Ut unum sint, that all may be one.

Listening makes us open to Christ, the Word of God, spoken in all things: in the material world, the Scriptures, the Church, and sacraments and, sometimes most threateningly, in our fellow human beings.

We’ve all got a terminal illness. It’s called life.

The prayer of listening makes things simple but it also makes us vulnerable, and that is frightening.

The best gift anyone can give to a friend is to pray for him.

We are developing in the United States a huge underclass of unwanted people, many of them the descendants of the exploitation of the South American and Latin American countries by American piratical capitalism.

Not all capitalism is piratical, but some of it certainly is. And we have a fantastic gap beginning to exist between rich and poor.

Jesus Christ was treated as we deserved so that when we believe in Jesus, God treats us as Jesus deserves.

I thank God that I’m a product of my parents. That they infected me with their intelligence and energy for life, with their thirst for knowledge and their love. I’m grateful that I know where I come from.

Religion: ‘My identity is built on being a good person.’ Gospel: ‘My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on Christ’s.’

Jesus Christ did not suffer so that you would not suffer. He suffered so that when you suffer, you’ll become more like him.

What you do today is shaped by what you believe about tomorrow.

The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe.

And thus I aspire to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named so that I would not build on another man’s foundation.

You are a totally loved moral failure.