On Loving God by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

On Loving God by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Author: St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153)

Year: 1910

A classic treatise by St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the nature and degrees of love for God. Written in the 12th century, this edition was published in London in 1910 with Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur. Bernard explains why God should be loved, the gifts He has bestowed, the debt of love owed by Christians, and the progression from self‑interested love to perfect, selfless union with God. The work remains a cornerstone of Catholic mystical and ascetical theology. 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.