On Loving God

Bernard of Clairvaux — from CCEL.

Bernard’s answer to the question why and how much God is to be loved: “The reason for loving God is God Himself; the measure, to love without measure.” It traces four degrees of love, from loving oneself for one’s own sake to loving oneself only for God’s.

Up: Bernard of Clairvaux

Contents (16)

1. Dedication
2. Chapter 1. Why we should love God and the measure of that love
3. Chapter 2. On loving God. How much God deserves love from man in recognition of His gifts, both material and spiritual: and how these gifts should be cherished without neglect of the Giver
4. Chapter 3. What greater incentives Christians have, more than the heathen, to love God
5. Chapter 4. Of those who find comfort in the recollection of God, or are fittest for His love
6. Chapter 5. Of the Christian’s debt of love, how great it is
7. Chapter 6. A brief summary
8. Chapter 7. Of love toward God not without reward: and how the hunger of man’s heart cannot be satisfied with earthly things
9. Chapter 8. Of the first degree of love: wherein man loves God for self’s sake
10. Chapter 9. Of the second and third degrees of love
11. Chapter 10. Of the fourth degree of love: wherein man does not even love self save for God’s sake
12. Chapter 11. Of the attainment of this perfection of love only at the resurrection
13. Chapter 12. Of love: out of a letter to the Carthusians
14. Chapter 13. Of the law of self-will and desire, of slaves and hirelings
15. Chapter 14. Of the law of the love of sons
16. Chapter 15. Of the four degrees of love, and of the blessed state of the heavenly fatherland