On Loving God

by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Summary

What is love? In his text On Loving God, St. Bernard surveys the four types of love that Christians experience as they grow in their relationship with God: loving one's self, selfish love, loving God as God, and loving one's self in God. St. Bernard reminds us that not only did God give us life, but He gave us Himself. For indeed, "God deserves to be loved very much, yea, boundlessly, because He loved us first, He infinite and we nothing, loved us, miserable sinners, with a love so great and so free." St. Bernard reminds us that we are indebted to God for his love and His sacrifice. Not only should we love God because it is what He deserves, but also because loving God does not go without reward. Loving God is to our advantage. The Lord rewards those who love Him with the blessed state of the heavenly Fatherland, where sorrow and sadness cannot enter. St. Bernard's medieval prose is poetic and full of clever imagery. His work is as beautiful as it is knowledgeable.

Emmalon Davis
CCEL Staff Writer
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About St. Bernard of Clairvaux

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Picture of St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Wikipedia
Picture of St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Source: Wikipedia
Born: January 1, 1090
Died: August 20, 1153
Related topics: Christian saints, Bernard,--of Clairvaux, Saint,--1090 or 91-1153, Early works, Catholic Church, Biography, …
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