Bernard of Clairvaux: On the Love of God

On the

Love of God

Chapter I

Why We Ought to Love God, and How We Ought to Love Him

You wish me to explain for what reason and in what measure we should love God.

I should say that God Himself is the motive of our love to Him, and that the measure of due love is to be without measure. Is this clear enough? Perhaps it may be for a person of intelligence, but I desire to answer for both the learned and un learned; and, though I may have said enough for the former, I must remember others also. For them I will unfold my meaning, and perhaps add somewhat to it.

Two things there are that move us to love God for Himself: nothing is more reasonable; nothing is more profitable.

The question, What binds us to love God? may either mean — What is His title to our love? or, How will it profit us to love God? To both these forms of the question there is but one answer: The motive for loving God, is God. No title can be

stronger than this: God gave Himself to us in spite of our unworthiness, and, being God, what could He give us of greater worth than Himself? If, then, by asking, why we are bound to love God, we mean, what is His claim, the answer is: Especially this, that He first loved us. This gives Him a right to our love in return; above all, considering who He is that loves, what His loved ones are, and in what way He loves them. For who is He that loves us, but He of whom every spirit bears witness: "Thou art my God, Thou hast no need of my goods"? and His love is it not that charity that seeks not its own interests? But on whom is fastened this unselfish love? The Apostle answers: " When we were yet enemies, we were reconciled to God." God has loved us disinterestedly, and while yet we were His enemies. But how has He loved us? St. John says to this extreme: " God so loved the world as to give His only begotten Son." St. Paul adds: " He hath not spared His only begotten Son, but hath delivered Him up for us ;" and the Son says of Himself, " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." These are the claims which God, the Holy, the sovereignly great and Almighty, has upon the love of infinitely little, weak, and sinful man. It may be said: Yes, this is true of man kind, but it is not so of angels. I know it; for

angels the same was not needful. Moreover, He who has helped man in his misery preserved the angels from falling into the like; and if God's love for men has found them a way of escape, it is by the…