“Tragedy is that our attention centers on what people are not, rather than on what they are and who they might become.”

A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God.

The sorrow of God lies in our fear of Him, our fear of life, and our fear of ourselves. He anguishes over our self-absorption and self-sufficiency… God’s sorrow lies in our refusal to approach Him when we sinned and failed.

For me the most radical demand of Christian faith lies in summoning the courage to say yes to the present risenness of Jesus Christ.

When absolute control and rigid obedience pose as love within the family and the local faith-community , we produce trained cowards rather than Christian persons.

On the last day, Jesus will look us over not for medals, diplomas, or honors, but for scars.

The deepest desire of our hearts is for union for God. God created us for union with himself. This is the original purpose of our lives.

The secret of the mystery is: God is always greater. No matter how great we think Him to be, His love is always greater.

When our inner child is not nurtured and nourished, our minds gradually close to new ideas, unprofitable commitments and the surprises of the Spirit.

we unwittingly project onto God our own attitudes and feelings toward ourselves… But we cannot assume that He feels about us the way we feel about ourselves — unless we love ourselves compassionately, intensely, and freely.

Anyone we come in contact with, we either offer them life, or we drain them.

Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself.

My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.

We have been given God in our souls and Christ in our flesh. We have the power to believe where others deny, to hope where others despair, to love where others hurt.

The gospel will persuade no one unless it has so convicted us that we are transformed by it.

Be daring enough to be different, humble enough to make mistakes, wild enough to be burnt in the fire of love, real enough to make others see how phony you are.

The dominant characteristic of an authentic spiritual life is the gratitude that flows from trust — not only for all the gifts that I receive from God, but gratitude for all the suffering. Because in that purifying experience, suffering has often been the shortest path to intimacy with God.