He who loves God because he finds in Him his own happiness has an interested, a selfish love, which really belongs to the virtue of hope and not to love. But he who loves God because for His own sake He deserves to be loved, has the true and genuine love of friendship.
The perfect love of God, however, does not exclude the hope of Heaven.
All perfection consists in the love of God. All the other virtues are of no account unless they are accompanied by love.
He who loves another is very careful to cause him no offense; on the contrary, he is eager to do what will afford him pleasure.
The first and greatest commandment which the Lord has given us bids us love Him with our whole heart. "Son, give me thy heart." (Prov 23:26)
As a reward for this love, God promises to give us Himself: "I am thy protector and thy reward exceedingly great." (Gen 15:1)
"I love them that love me." (Prov 8:17)
"He that abideth in charity, abideth in God and God in him." (1 Jn 4:16)
"He that loveth me shall be loved by my Father; and I will love him." (Jn 14:21)
Illustrious people are proud of the fact that their nobility goes back five hundred or a thousand years; the nobility of God is from all eternity. Who is greater than God? He is Lord of all.
St. Augustine says that the efforts of God to bestow favors on us are greater even than our desire to receive them. He never permits anything we do for love of Him to go unrewarded.
We must therefore love God from our hearts because He is worthy of all love. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love." (Jer 31:3)
Those who loved us first on earth were our parents; but they began to love us only when they began to know us; God, on the contrary, loved us before we had an existence. Even before our parents lived, God loved us.
NATURE BIDS US LOVE GOD
"Heaven and earth cry out," says St. Augustine. "Everything I see speaks and urges me to love Thee my Lord; all creatures tell me Thou hast created them for love of me."
When St. Teresa looked at the trees or flowers or the meadows and brooks, she said they accused her of ingratitude and chided her with her little love for a Creator who had called all these things into being just to be loved by her.
THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST A PROOF OF LOVE
How could Our Lord have better proved His love for us than by suffering so many pains and such contempt and by ending His life in bitter agony on the Cross?
But alas, we have grown so accustomed to hear of the Incarnation and the Redemption, of a God born in a stable, a God that was scoured and crowned and crucified, that it makes but little impression on us.
If Jesus Christ is not loved by mankind, it is because so few thing of the love He has shown them.
St. Paul says, "the charity of Christ presseth us." (2 Cor 5:14)
and, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness." (1 Cor 1:23)
Yes, says St. Gregory, it seemed foolishness for them that the Author of life should die for men.
And why has Jesus done all this? He has done it, says St. Augustine, in order that man might recognize the inexpressible love which God bears him.
"With what love would be we be inflamed," says St. Francis de Sales, "did we but see the flames of love that burn in the heart of Christ! What a happiness for us did we glow with the fire that consumes our Lord and our God! What joy, to be bound with the bonds of love for God!"
O God, where is our gratitude? If an insignificant servant had suffered for us what our heavenly Spouse has endured, could we ever forget it?
So says St. Paschal, "My love is nailed to the Cross for me; my Love has died for me."
And you, Christian soul, what have you done for your Divine Redeemer? What proof of your love have you given Him?
Think of the special graces He has given you and which He has denied to so many others. Think of the many He has permitted to be born in countries where infidelity and unbelief hold sway!
And you have received the grace to be born in the bosom of the Church of God!
Alas, you have treated Him with ingratitude and offended Him anew. And yet, He was willing to pardon you again and with the same love. Instead of punishing you as you deserved, he showered upon you His graces and inspirations. At this very moment, while you are reading theses words, He continues to invite you to His love. Well then! What do you propose to do? Is it possible you can resist any longer? Why do you still hesitate? Do you wish to wait until God ceases to call, and abandons you?
MEANS OF ADVANCING IN GOD'S LOVE
1 - By means of desire
In order to dedicate yourself entirely to the love of your Divine Spouse, you must courageously make us of the means conducive to that end. The first means is an ardent desire for this perfect love.
God distributes His graces in abundance to those who hunger and thirst for them, as the Blessed Virgin says, "He hath filled the hungry with good things." (Lk 1:53)
All trouble is light and sweet when our efforts are prompted by an ardent desire.
"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after justice." (Mt 5:6)
2 - By renouncing all else
The second means of obtaining perfect love of God consists in renouncing all love that does not refer to God.
If we wish to arrive at the perfect love of God, we must banish from our hearts every attachment that has not God for its object.
As long as the heart is not free from earthly inclinations, the love of God can find no entrance there; but as soon as it is detached from creatures, the fire of Divine love is enkindled and grows continually stronger.
"I count all things but as dung, that I may gain Christ." (Phil 3:8)
When the love of God has entered our hearts, we place no longer any value on what the world esteems. "If a man shall give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing." (Cant 8:7)
3 - Self-Denial
One must deny himself by gladly embracing what is opposed to self-love.
What pleases us most, in that we must deny ourselves, just because it pleases us. For example, we must turn our eyes away from this or that object because it is beautiful.
We must do a service to the ungrateful just because he is ungrateful.
We must take a bitter medicine just be cause it is bitter.
We must love even virtue without attachment. For example, it is necessary to love prayer and solitude; but when obedience or charity prevent us from devoting ourselves to prayer and solitude we should not be disquieted, but accept resignedly everything that happens by the will of God to thwart our inclinations.
4 - The Passion of Christ
The fourth means of acquiring perfect love of God consists in frequent meditation on the sufferings of Christ.
We must not reflect on the sufferings of Jesus Christ for the sake of the consolation and sweetness it affords, but only to inflame our hearts with love for our suffering Savior, and to learn from Him what He desires us to do.
St. Francis of Assisi became a seraph of love by meditating on the Passion of Christ. He was found one day bathed in tears uttering loud sighs. "I am weeping over the pains and insults of my Divine Master. But what grieves me most is that men for whom He suffered so much never think of the torments He endured."
5 - Love of Prayer
The fifth means of acquiring the treasure of God's love is prayer.
"Jesus, give me thy Holy Love; Mary my Mother, obtain for me the love of God; my Guardian Angel and all my holy patrons, intercede for me that I may love God with my whole heart and soul."
The Lord is generous in the bestowal of His gifts, but He is especially bountiful in giving His love to those who seek it.
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