Every Christian is involved in a battle that defines his or her life

‘It is a struggle to overcome the temptation of closing in on ourselves, so that the love of the Father can make its home in us. When we make room for the Lord who rescues us from our self-sufficiency, we open up to all of creation and every creature. We become channels of the Father’s life and love. Only then do we realize what life truly is: a gift of the Father who loves us deeply and desires that we belong to him and to each other.’ Pope Francis

Excerpted from Pope Francis’  Foreword to First Belong to God : On Retreat with Pope Francis  by Austen Ivereigh  (p.11)