Three things make…

Three things make a person worthy of God’s path, and three things cause them to recognize it and enter onto it. First, submit to God and relinquish all your ideas about control. Hold on to God’s grace and determine to keep it by forgiving everyone in all things, as far as is humanly possible. Second, stay on God’s path by welcoming all things, except for sin. This will keep your heart open and flexible. Third, remain on this path by doing all things well for God’s honor. That’s why I think doing simple things is just as important in God’s sight as the highest states of contemplation. Why? Whatever I do for love gives honor to God. It’s all one and the same. There’s no high or low. But whenever I sin, I step off this path.
–Mechthild of Magdeburg (Thirteenth Century)

Find ourselves in love…

Let us find ourselves… in love; root ourselves in it like trees, build ourselves on it as a firm foundation founded on love for God which makes us his mansion and his temple in which he dwells; let us, rooted in love for our neighbor which makes us fruitful, give forth leaves of help and fruit of sustenance. Those who are thus founded and rooted can, to a certain extent, understand what is the length and breadth and depth and height of love. Its breadth extends to our enemies; its length perseveres to the end; its height makes it all powerful, and its depth makes us attribute nothing to ourselves but all to the love God bears for us.
–Francisco de Osuna (1497-1541)