In Ephesians 5, Paul shows us that even on earth Jesus did not use his power to oppress us but sacrificed everything to bring us into union with him. And this takes us beyond the philosophical to the personal and the practical. If God had the gospel of Jesus's salvation in mind when he established marriage, then marriage only 'works' to the degree that approximates the pattern of God's self-giving love in Christ.

God's Kingdom is "present in its beginnings, but still future in its fullness. This guards us from an under-realized eschatology (expecting no change now) and an over-realized eschatology (expecting all change now). In this stage, we embrace the reality that while we're not yet what we will be, we're also no longer what we used to be.

Suffering is the stripping of our hope in finite things, therefore we do not put our ultimate hope in anything finite.

Prayer is awe before an infinite force, and yet it's intimacy with a personal friend.

The best things that have been written, almost, are by Catholics during the counter Reformation: Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis de Sales, John of the Cross, St. Theresa of Бvila.....great stuff.

By praying with friends, you will be able to hear and see facets of Jesus that you have not yet perceived.

A sense of Jesus’ absence might be a sign of his presence- a sign that he’s working already in your life.