“I beli
eve that we have no real access to who we fully are except in God. Only when we rest in God can we find the safety, the spaciousness, and the scary freedom to be who we are, all that we are, and much more than we think we are. Only when we live and see through God’s eyes can “everything belong.” All other systems exclude, expel, punish, and protect to find identity for their members in some kind of ideological perfection or purity. The contaminating element always has to be searched out, isolated, and often punished. This wasted effort keeps us from the centrally important task of love and union” (Richard Rohr in his Daily Devotional for November 30, 2016).
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“It’s only possible to love the negative people in your life if you’re experiencing the love of God on an ongoing basis. Are you experiencing God’s love in your life? If you say no, can you give me a good reason why you wouldn’t ask God to reveal his love to you? His love for the world is not only universal; it’s profoundly personal” (Robert Whitlow in the novel A House Divided).
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“If we want security, let us give security. If we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yard stick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us” (Pope Francis in a speech to the U.S. Congress in 2015).
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“How can believers in the holy Trinity regain their center, their grounding, the integration of the mind with the heart? How can we learn to set habitually our internal compass toward the “true north,” toward Christ himself? Our ancient brothers and sisters suggest that we can succeed only by finding “space” that is calm enough, settled enough, free enough from distractions and competing voices, that we can once again discern the quiet, insistent voice of God calling us into his wonderful, breathtaking mystery. . . . .
For us today such space might be found in a chapel, a closet illuminated by a candle, a daily walk, a soup kitchen, a hospital ward, a prison, a hospice. The list of possibilities seems endless. Keep your eyes open for the “space” the Lord is offering you. And ponder with me this specific question: “What specific, strategic steps can I take to introduce a deeper, receptive silence and space into my inner life, my community, and my physical environment?” (Chris Hall in the Renovare Weekly Digest for Nov. 29)
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“The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become” (Heraclitus).
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“Your kingdom purpose is an invitation to co-create with God toward a vision. Imagin- ing what you are called to inspires transformation. Holy change. When Jesus said to love “with all our mind,” the Greek word he chose was dianoia; it literally means “imagination.” Keep with the Word! Embrace it, setting your imagination apart for the Lord’s influence on your spiritual life. Imagining is not imaginary or magical; it is necessary” (Amy Pierson in Conversations Journal, Fall/Winter, 2016).
Living as Apprentices 