COMMENT: Fr. Stephen RIP "O love that will not let me go"

Cemetery; after so much snow and rain, hope for a dry weekend

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Donald ...
To: Andy ....
Sent: Saturday, 9 February 2013, 10:22
Subject: Re: Fr. Stephen RIP "O love that will not let me go"

Dear Andy,

Today, busy events, we need to produce the Liturgy Booklet for Fr. Stephan.

Also our Annual  Retreat is to begin this evening.
Thank you Andy for the interest in the hymn.

Herewith is the lovely story of George Matheson's, as in Wikipedia;
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One of his hymns, "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go," has passed into the popular hymnology of the Christian Church. Matheson himself wrote of the composition:

"I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high." ^[1]

"O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go" was written on the evening of Matheson’s sister’s marriage. Years before, he had been engaged, until his fiancée learned that he was going blind—that there was nothing the doctors could do—and she told him that she could not go through life with a blind man. He went blind while studying for the ministry, and his sister had been the one to care for him through the years, but now she was gone. He was now 40, and his sister’s marriage brought a fresh reminder of his own heartbreak. It was in the midst of this circumstance and intense sadness that the Lord gave Matheson this hymn, which he said was written in five minutes..."

I trust you are advanced in successful convalescence.

God bless.

fr. Donald 

 P.S. Billy and Dick picture preparing the grave. 

Praying to keep dry for the burial. 

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From: Andy ...
To: Donald ...
Sent: Friday, 8 February 2013, 21:50
Subject: Fr. Stephen RIP

Dear Donald and Nivard

Anne Marie and I were saddened to hear of the death of Fr. Stephen.

May God reward him for his long and dedicated service to his life of prayer.

I was interested in reading the words which you quoted on your blog from the communion  hymn used in the Mass for Fr. Stephen.

“I trace the rainbow through the rain, reminding again that dawn shall tearless be.” What hymn is this from? Is it from "O love that will not let me go".

God bless.

Andy and Anne Marie