Deacons . . . serve in the diaconate of the liturgy, of the word, and of charity to the people of God.
—Lumen Gentium, no. 29

Even as we see the horror of death, may we be reminded that in the end, love wins. Mercy triumphs. Life is more powerful than death.
–Shane Claiborne

Without the Good Shepherd, we are alone in a meaningless story. Weariness and fear leave us feeling overwhelmed, unable to move. Cynicism leaves us doubting, unable to dream.
—Paul E. Miller
 
God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but he has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.
–Augustine of Hippo

If . . . I were asked for the most important advice I could give . . . I should simply say: in the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.
—Leo Tolstoy

God loves you, is present in you, lives in you, dwells in you, calls you, saves you, and offers you an understanding and compassion which are like nothing you have ever found in a book or heard in a sermon.
–Thomas Merton

By his miraculous entry through closed doors Christ proved to his disciples that by nature he was God and also that he was none other than their former companion.
—Saint Cyril of Alexandria (d. 444)

I have . . . learned as a member of the Christian community what is the nature of God’s mercy, which does not leave me to overcome my sin by my own effort.
–Abp. Rowan William

Jesus is for life, not just for Easter.
—Jarrid Wilson
 
The resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s kingdom. . . . It is the decisive event demonstrating that God’s kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven.
–N. T. Wright
 

The one who seeks not the cross of Christ seeks not the glory of Christ.
—Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)

I have a hard time conceiving of a God completely removed from suffering. Once I understand the notion of Christ participating in suffering, then it makes more sense to me.
–Christian Wiman
 

The Resurrection of Jesus is . . . a symbol of hope . . . . The theology of the cross is the theology of love in our real world.
—Jon Sobrino

Yes, Lord, we do follow you, but we can only come at your bidding. . . . Be the way that receives us, the truth that strengthens us, the life that invigorates us.
–Saint Ambrose of Milan (339-397)
 

Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light.
—Groucho Marx

There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
–Søren Kierkegaard
 

God has chosen to save the world through the cross, through the shameful and powerless death of the crucified Messiah. If that shocking event is the revelation of the deepest truth about the character of God, then our whole way of seeing the world is turned upside down.
—Richard Hays
 
The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice.
–Ernest Hemingway
 

Where woundedness can be refined into beauty a wonderful transfiguration takes place.
—John O’Donohue
 
When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.
–Maya Angelou