“As you go forth in your preparation, you will spend much time preparing homilies. But even more important is the preparation of the homilist. That means, we are called to preach who we are and what we are.

We preach what we know…and what we know is that God loves us, and that is the message with which we must begin our ministry. God loves us for who we are, not because we are worthy, not because we earn it, not because of what we do. God has made a covenant with us, that he will love us no matter what.

It is not like a mortgage that can be repossessed, any more than you can repossess your children when they become disruptive. God never says, ‘Go away, you’ve failed.’ God calls us to him, sustains us in times of difficulty, and draws us together to him in confidence and love. God’s love is always with us, and that is the covenant which we are called to proclaim to the people we serve.”

— Bishop Thomas Curry, of Santa Barbara,
at the Rite of Candidacy for a whopping 53 new deacons for his region.