Jesus Hung Out With Ragamuffins.

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.

Faith Means Wanting God And Wanting To Want Nothing Else.

The Life Of Jesus Suggests That To Be Like Abba Is To Show Compassion.

The Deeper We Grow In The Spirit Of Jesus Christ, The Poorer We Become - The More We Realize That Everything In Life Is A Gift. The Tenor Of Our Lives Becomes One Of Humble And Joyful Thanksgiving. Awareness Of Our Poverty And Ineptitude Causes Us To Rejoice In The Gift Of Being Called Out Of Darkness Into Wondrous Light And Translated Into The Kingdom Of God's Beloved Son.

If In Our Hearts We Really Don't Believe That God Loves Us As We Are, If We Are Still Tainted By The Lie That We Can Do Something To Make God Love Us More, We Are Rejecting The Message Of The Cross.