All the kingdoms of this world are worth nothing to me. It is better for me to die in Christ Jesus than to be king over the ends of the earth. I seek him who died for our sake, I desire him who rose for us. ~St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans

Realize that you are in God’s presence…..empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God, like a chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing but what its mother gives it. ~St. Romuald

Jesus went directly to those who were outcasts. He much preferred to associate with the “sinners” than with those who proudly set themselves apart. Jesus shared the lot of the downtrodden because God himself loves those rejected by society, those the world deems unworthy. God wants to help all people, and raise the dignity they possess to the light. ~Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt

I knew before that God gave life to humankind and desires that they should live; now I understand more than that. I understand that God does not wish people to live apart, and therefore he does not reveal to them what each one needs for himself; but he wishes them to live united, and therefore reveals to each of them what is necessary for all. I now understand that though it seems to people that they live by care for themselves, in truth it is love alone by which they live. He who has love is in God, and God is in him, for God is love. ~Leo Tolstoy, The Gospel in Tolstoy

The great agitation in the world of today makes it more and more urgent to gain inner strength in those quiet encounters with Christ that make it possible for us to remain under his rule and authority. Situated as we are in the midst of a world that is so terribly unpeaceful, we need constant nourishment for our inner life. In short, if we want to avoid suffering inward shipwreck in the storm of public opinion and chaos, then our hidden inner being needs daily the quiet haven of communion with God. ~Eberhard Arnold

Blessed are they who have heart. Blessed are they who build up love and peace and unity. Blessed are they who stand with the poor, and are themselves poor. Blessed are they who know themselves as beggars before the Spirit. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness more than they hunger for food. They carry the suffering and pain of the world on their hearts. They do not think about themselves, for their whole heart is turned toward others. ~Eberhard Arnold