Every man possesses an inner chamber. Inside every human being there exists a bedchamber that only the Husband has access to. It’s a place created for love, an inner paradise. It’s the wine chamber spoken of in the Song of Solomon.
— Ernesto Cardenal
It must be understood that it is the duty of all Christians to strive always and in every way to be united with God, their Creator, Lover, Benefactor, and their supreme good, by whom and for whom they were created. This is because the center and the final purpose of the soul, which God created, must be God Himself alone, and nothing else—God from whom the soul has received its life and its nature, and for whom it must eternally live.
For all visible things on earth which are loveable and desirable—riches, glory, wife, children, in a word everything of this world that is beautiful, sweet, and attractive—belong not to the soul but only to the body, and being temporary, will pass away as quickly as a shadow. But the soul, being eternal by its nature, can attain eternal rest only in the eternal God: He is its highest good, more perfect than all beauty, sweetness, and loveliness, and He is its natural home, whence it came and whither it must return.
For the soul was created by God in order to dwell with Him forever; therefore, in this temporary life we must diligently seek union with God.
— St. Dimitri
God has created us intentionally, not to be individuals, but to be persons in communion. We are the product of the union of man and woman. We grow and mature in the company of others. We are created by God to be persons in communion, and we will not be saved otherwise. An individual cannot be saved, only a person can be saved. Let us live together, then, “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:2-6).
— Fr. John (My Brother is My Life)