In my reading of thousands upon thousands of pages in books, papers, and magazines over a lifetime of study, I have found no secular writers or those of non-Christian religions who were able to put these two words together in one idea. […] Our situation on the planet is a romance, a spectacular romance—for those who want it. It is difficult to imagine a more touching description of who we are: God's beloved. We are here in a realm light-years beyond the best of our psychology and self-help books. Then there is the clear implication that if people who annoy me are also God’s beloved, they must be mine as well: we are to love as he loves us (Jn 13:34). Once these two words sink into anyone's heart and become practice, human relationships are forever transformed.
THOMAS DUBAY, S.M. The Evidential Power of Beauty, Ch. 14 (1999, Ignatius Press)
