When you feel the temptation to dwell on your own weakness, raise your eyes to Christ crucified and say, “Lord, I am a poor sinner, but you can work the miracle of making me a little bit better.” In the church, holy yet made up of sinners, you will find everything you need to grow toward holiness. The Lord has bestowed on the church the gifts of Scripture, the sacraments, holy places, living communities, the witness of the saints and a multifaceted beauty that proceeds from God’s love…
At times life presents great challenges. Through them the Lord calls us anew to a conversion that can make his grace grow more evident in our lives, “in order that we may share his holiness.” At other times we need only find a more perfect way of what we are doing…When Cardinal Nguyen was imprisoned, he refused to waste time waiting for the day he would be set free…He decided, “I will seize the occasions that present themselves every day; I will accomplish ordinary actions in an extraordinary way.”