“Collectively and individually, we are crying for the solace of reconnection with God.” (Sue Patton Thoele)
“...one must first strive to calm the thoughts. The constant movement of the mind prevents it from entering into the heart, which is the only place where it may find true peace and solace.” (Bishop Irenei Steenberg)
“I find that when I pray for others it is not the mystery of grace that strains my prayer – but the mystery of other hearts. What will prayer bring? What will the heart of another do with the grace it is given? What mystery surrounds the pattern of the dance that this life now displays before us? I find little solace in the complexity of my own heart, nor in the opaque riddles of others. Solace comes finally only in the constant goodness of God’s grace – a grace that never draws back nor turns away from the hardness we present. This grace and its goodness crushes the heads of dragons, including those that lurk in the darkest places of the heart. It also kindles a fire where we thought no flame could burn.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“To accompany somebody we love when the police call and report an accident to one of their family members, or to the hospital when someone is critically ill—that’s when love is put into motion. To walk in love to the cemetery and be there when the tears and sobs come is to walk in Christ’s love with the one we love. In our time we drive to be with the one we love, or we make ourselves available near our phones so that he or she will know that it’s alright to visit and share their emotional state. When you walk in love, you give off indications that your heart is open for visiting anytime. There are no business hours for your affection to be called on. You relish your privacy, yet you are ever ready to set it aside whenever those you love are in need of comfort, solace and affection.” (Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky)
“Christ’s message is clear and unequivocal. We are to minister to others. We must deal with their physical human needs: food, clothing, shelter, medicine. We must also deal with their psychological needs: comfort, encouragement, solace, love. But these ministrations are intermediary to satisfying the most fundamental need of all: the spiritual hunger for the word of God and, through it, salvation.” (Larry Jenney)