Frank Johnson reviews ‘God Loves You Immensely’, a new book of brief writings by Chiara Lubich.
[New City Magazine]
When Chiara Lubich heard the words ‘God loves you immensely’ addressed to her in 1943, they hit her like lightning. Those words, uttered by a local priest who had asked her to pray for his apostolate, entered deep into the soul of the young schoolmistress, so much so that she repeated them time and again, and not just to herself, but to the group of young women who were following what was to become a new ‘way’ in the Church, the way of the Focolare. With such a profound conviction that God loved her beyond all imagining, Chiara wanted to fulfil whatever plan this God-Love had for her and for the nascent Movement.
This little book presents a selection of brief quotations by Chiara all of which can help the reader enter into the reality that she herself found so overwhelming. Though brief, these writings contain distilled wisdom, the fruits of a life lived out of love for God and for her fellow human beings. Even the busiest mother, or executive, or factory worker could find the time to read, digest and, most importantly, live one of these thoughts each day. The following examples give a flavour of the book and draw us into God’s immense love for us:
God doesn’t want many things from you
except your heart.
Give it to Him
and you will have given everything!
It’s so easy to satisfy Him!
God’s mercy prospers
at a cost to us!
We give him our rags
which He will burn
and make use of for something good.
We are fragile earthen vessels:
if we don’t have confidence in God
we soon begin to stumble and fall down.
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