Quotes of the Day for March 17, 2026 – Thoughts on establishing our identity through who and what we identify with

“We are told to keep the commandments. Those commandments include care for the poor, the homeless, those in prison, etc. Indeed, the Cross teaches us to radically identify with them, rather than simply to offer a helping hand. Our concern for justice all too rarely engages anyone face-to-face, nor does it leave us with substantially less money. We fail to understand the true nature of violence, and refuse to acknowledge its inherent role in “making the world a better place.” Modernity is married to violence and pleads that it is all in a good cause.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“When we see someone suffering, we should look to see Christ in them and then have compassion on the sufferer, treating him/her as we would treat Christ if we found Him in the same squalor, prison, homeless or destitute. Christ became incarnate to identify with the suffering people of the world, not with the rich and comfortable. He wants us all to have that same mind…God wants us to be people of mercy, compassion, charity. We will learn to be so if we can see Christ in those people who are often deemed less than everyone else.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)

“Struggling to obey the Lord each day is the only way to grow in holiness and follow the apostles to the heavenly kingdom. To identify ourselves as…Christians without pursuing this difficult and humbling path is sheer hypocrisy by which we condemn only ourselves. We will become the opposite of “fishers of men” if we entangle ourselves in the nets of spiritual pride and self-righteous judgment of our neighbors, regardless of who they may be. Instead of attracting others to Christ like a beacon in the darkness, we will turn them away by our bad example and reveal how we have shut the doors of our hearts to the healing presence of the Holy Spirit.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)

“In His very person, our Lord has chosen to identify Himself not with man's dubious achievements, nor with his false glory, nor with his ambitions or pride. Rather, He chose to identify with us in our weakness, brokenness, and despair. For this reason, it is when we are at our weakest and lowest that we encounter Christ Himself. It is when we open ourselves in love to those whom this world considers to be the least of our brethren that we find ourselves open to God. For this reason, men and women throughout the centuries have given away all of their possessions and made themselves poor. Those who are filled with the food of this world have given it all away and gone hungry. Those with leisure and rest have given it up to become tired and weak in vigils and prayer. Because, in those moments of weakness, exhaustion, hunger, and poverty they have found Christ, His Love, Joy, Peace, and Holiness, and through worshiping and adoring Him, have received these things for themselves.” (Fr. Stephen De Young)

“Marriage in a sacramental sense is not about you. It’s not primarily about being happy or being fulfilled. It’s about growing as a human being and entering into a higher kind of life and love wherein you can practice a “One-and-Many” mode of existence that imitates the Trinity. Marriage is about identifying yourself with another person so completely that the other person becomes a part of you, while you simultaneously become a part of that person, such that you really are “one flesh,” just in different bodies. You work for, take care of, and help each other while suffering together, hurting when the other hurts, and rejoicing when the other rejoices, not because you feel positive emotions toward that person—this is not about your feelings—but because you and your spouse are the same physical unit.” (Dr. Zachary Porcu)

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