Quia amasti me, fecisti me amabilem. (In loving me, you made me lovable.)

A trusting heart is forgiven and, in turn, forgives.

By and large, the gospel of grace is neither proclaimed, understood, nor lived.

Childlike surrender and trust, I believe, is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship.

The noonday devil of the Christian life is the temptation to lose the inner self while preserving the shell of edifying behavior. Suddenly I discover that I am ministering to AIDS victims to enhance my resume. I find I renounced ice cream for Lent to lose five excess pounds... I have fallen victim to what T.S. Eliot calls the greatest sin: to do the right thing for the wrong reason.

Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.

Experience has taught me that I connect best with others when I connect with the core of myself. When I allow God to liberate me from unhealthy dependence on people, I listen more attentively, love more unselfishly, and am more compassionate and playful. I take myself less seriously, become aware that the breath of the Father is on my face.