God wants to cultivate a deep and personal relationship with every one of his daughters and sons. However, relationships take time and they require the commitment necessary to really get to know another person. I will never be able to hear God’s voice in nature, in other people or in the words of the Gospel if I do not know God. And I will never really come to know God unless I am willing to put in the time, patience, and practice necessary for this relationship to thrive.
—from Mystics: Twelve Who Reveal God’s Love
by Murray Bodo, OFM