"To do God's will -- this was the goal upon which the saints constantly fixed their gaze. They were fully persuaded that in this consists the entire perfection of the soul. "

St Alphonsus de Liguori

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"The essence of perfection is to embrace the will of God in all things, prosperous or adverse. In prosperity, even sinners find it easy to unite themselves to the divine will; but it takes saints to unite themselves to God's will when things go wrong and are painful to self-love. Our conduct in such instances is the measure of our love of God."

St Alphonsus de Liguori

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"Many words do not satisfy the soul; but a good life eases the mind and a clean conscience inspires great trust in God."

Thomas á Kempis

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 St Bernard of Clairvaux   (1090-1153)  Father and Doctor of the Church
Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on St Bernard
 

ON LOVING GOD

By St Bernard of Clairvaux

CONTENTS
 

Dedication

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