I am convinced that God approaches us much more through our inadequacy than through our talents. If we present our misery to God, we will call upon His mercy. It is not easy for gifted people to acknowledge their misery, accept it, and make it a path to conversion. A gifted person tends to offer their abilities in service to God. That is fine. But they will also have to come to realize that, like everyone else, they need to be saved from their misery. In fact, we are all called in our spiritual lives to this dual movement, though not always at the same time and in the same rhythm.
(Dom Patrick Olive /* 1947/, abbot of the Sept-Fons monastery)
