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This morning as we prepare for the Solemn Profession of our Brother Stephen Shanahan, we ponder the following words:
Now
let me assure you of this: Jesus loves us more, infinitely more, than we
desire, more than we dare to dream of. Sometimes our dreams seem bold, almost
absurd; nevertheless, they are far below reality... It is
this very magnitude of God’s love that so frequently disconcerts us. We think:
‘It is an exaggeration to say God loves me like that. If not even I can love
myself that way, how is it possible that God does so?... Through what
strange phenomenon, through what inexplicable illusion do we Christians
disquiet ourselves, knowing with the certainty of faith that a loving God bears
us in His arms and surrounds us with His divine tenderness?
May God continue to surround Brother Stephen with his love.
Lines from Only Jesus by Luis M. Martinez, D. D., trans. Sister Mary Daniel, B. V. M. , B. Herder, St. Louis, 1962. Photographs by Brother Brian.