I thought this by Brother Roger of Taize was wonderful.

Together with the whole people of God, with people from all over the world, you are invited to live a life exceeding all your hopes. On your own, how could you ever experience the radiance of God’s presence?

God is too dazzling to be looked upon. He is a God who blinds our sight. It is Christ who channels this consuming fire, and allows God to shine through without dazzling us.

Christ is present, close to each one of us, whether we know him or not. He is so bound up with us that he lives within us, even when we are unaware of him. He is there in secret, a fire burning in the heart,a light in our darkness.

But Christ is also someone other than yourself. He is alive; he stands beyond, ahead of you.

Here is his secret: he loved you first.

That is the meaning of your life: to be loved for ever, loved to all eternity, so that you, in turn, will dare to die for love. Without love, what is the point of living?

From now on, in prayer or in struggle, only one thing is disastrous, the loss of love. Without love, what is the good of believing, or even of giving your body to the flames?

Do you see? Contemplation and struggle arise from the very same source, Christ who is love.

If you pray, it is out of love. If you struggle to restore dignity to the exploited, that too is for love.

Will you set out on this road? At the risk of losing your life for love, will you live Christ for others?

From Parable of Community by Brother Roger of Taize, p.49