Ilia Delio, OSF

Every act of love is a new beginning, a new creation. To live compassionately is to believe in a love greater than ourselves yet intimately present to us

If we truly believe that matter is holy, then we must act to make Christ alive as oneness-in-love.

Trust in God requires not the felt experience of God but the handing over of one’s life to God in darkness and silence, realizing that one’s life is not one’s own but belongs entirely to God.

Franciscan prayer, lived to its full, is to set the human heart on fire.

The mystery of being human lies in the mystery of desire, which shapes our lives and can change us.

Spiritual desire is the longing of the heart for relationship with God that brings happiness and peace. Francis of Assisi was a passionate person, a dreamer, a lover and a person of desire. When he felt his desire filled in hearing the gospel, he found the answer to his deepest longings and changed his life accordingly. He became a follower of Christ. Francis’ life shows us that we must be attentive to our desires if we are to find the fulfillment of our lives in God.