Prayer is the center of the Christian life. It is the only necessary thing. It is living with God in the here and now.
Often we come home from a sharing session with a feeling that something precious has been taken away from us or that holy ground has been trodden upon.
To receive spiritual direction is to recognize that God does not solve our problems or answer all our questions, but leads us closer to the mystery of our existence where all questions cease.
The soul of the artist cannot remain hidden.
In the face of the oppressed I recognize my own face, and in the hands of the oppressor I recognize my own hands. Their flesh is my flesh, their blood is my blood, their pain is my pain, their smile is my smile.
Everything changes radically from the moment you know yourself as being sent into this world.
Active waiting means present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening where you are and that you want to be present to it.
I was forced to enter the basement of my soul and look directly at what was hidden there, and to choose, in the face of it all, not death but life.
If I were to let my life be taken over by what is urgent, I might very well never get around to what is essential.
When we have sold our identity to the judges of this world, we are bound to become restless, because of a growing need for affirmation and praise.
By giving words to these intimate experiences I can make my life available to others.
It is by chance that we met, by choice that we became friends.
When we break bread and give it to each other, fear vanishes and God becomes very close.
No one person can fulfill all your needs. But the community can truly hold you. The community can let you experience the fact that, beyond your anguish, there are human hands that hold you and show you God’s faithful love.
If fear is the great enemy of intimacy, love is its true friend.
Ministry is the least important thing. You cannot not minister if you are in communion with God and live in community.
In their poverty, the mentally handicapped reveal God to us and hold us close to the gospel.
Asking people for money is giving them the opportunity to put their resources at the disposal of the Kingdom.
I’ve had a tremendous problem with depression in my life. I’d rather not talk about it, because it’s over. But depression is real.
One of the most satisfying aspects of writing is that it can open in us deep wells of hidden treasures that are beautiful for us as well as for others to see.