"There is nothing that is not spiritual for those who have learned how to see."
"What we’re in love with usually is not God. We’re in love with our way of thinking, our way of explaining, our way of doing. One of the greatest ways to protect ourselves from God, and to protect ourselves from truth and grace, is simply to buy into some kind of cheap conventionalism and call it tradition."
"If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it—usually to those closest to us: our family, our neighbors, our co-workers, and, invariably, the most vulnerable, our children."
Alternately: “You can tell a lot about someone by what they do with their pain. Do they transform it or do they transmit it?”
"Most Christians were trained to think that we would be punished for our sins, but I’ve come to believe we are punished by our sins."
"We gradually limited the Divine Presence to the single body of Jesus, when perhaps it is as ubiquitous as light itself—and uncircumscribable by human boundaries."
"God cannot be known; God can only be loved. And that loving becomes its own way of knowing."
"It seems we only know what life is when we know what death is."
"Remember, light is not so much what you directly see as that by which you see everything else. This is why in John’s Gospel, Jesus Christ makes the almost boastful statement, 'I am the Light of the world' (John 8:12). Jesus Christ is the amalgam of matter and spirit put together in one place, so we ourselves can put it together in all places and enjoy things in their fullness. It can even enable us to see as God sees, if that is not hoping for too much."
"God’s first 'idea' was to pour out divine infinite love into finite, visible forms. The Big Bang is our scientific name for that first idea, and 'Christ' is our theological name."
"Matter and spirit must be recognized as inseparable in Christ before we have the courage and insight to acknowledge and honor the same in ourselves and in the entire universe."
"When you don’t have self-critical thinking in a religion, you always lack the prophetic instinct."
"Becoming who we really are is a matter of learning how to become more and more deeply connected. No one can possibly go to heaven alone—or it would not be heaven."
"Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity (it did not need changing)! Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God."
“The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.”
"It’s not about being privately correct; it’s about being fully connected."
"Love, like prayer, is not so much an action that we do, but a reality that we are."
"What is needed is not more information but the will to move from belief to action, from denial to profound change at both personal and public levels."
"Christianity is not about avoiding punishment or gaining reward. It is about loving God and loving what God loves. And what God loves is the whole of creation."
“And” teaches us to say yes
“And” allows us to be both-and
“And” keeps us from either-or
“And” teaches us to be patient and long-suffering
“And” is willing to wait for insight and integration
“And” keeps us from dualistic thinking
“And” does not divide the field of the moment
“And” helps us to live in the always imperfect now
“And” keeps us inclusive and compassionate toward everything
“And” demands that our contemplation become action
“And” insists that our action is also contemplative
“And” heals our racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism
“And” keeps us from the false choice of liberal or conservative
“And” allows us to critique both sides of things
“And” allows us to enjoy both sides of things
“And” is far beyond anyone nation or political party
“And” helps us face and accept our own dark side
“And” allows us to ask for forgiveness and to apologize
“And” is the mystery of paradox in all things
“And” is the way of mercy
“And” makes daily, practical love possible
“And” does not trust love if it is not also justice
“And” does not trust justice if it is not also love
“And” is far beyond my religion versus your religion
“And” allows us to be both distinct and yet united
“And” is the very Mystery of Trinity