Love fills and empties simultaneously. It makes us reach out to God, ready to be pruned, recklessly desiring whatever the cost. It soothes the aching heart and then makes it thirst for more.

Salvation brings the soul a deep awareness of God's love. Life takes on more meaning, for it now has a purpose.

At Baptism, I received grace - that quality that makes me share in the very nature of God.

The sinner who suddenly realizes God's love for him and then looks at his rejection of that love feels a loss similar to the death of a loved one. A deep void is created in the soul and a loneliness akin to the agony of death.

Our lack of forgiveness makes us hate, and our lack of compassion makes us hard-hearted. Pride in our hearts makes us resentful and keeps our memory in a constant whirlwind of passion and self-pity.

Every moment of life is like a sacrament in which we can receive God. It is a channel through which God speaks to us, forms us, and directs us.