St. Bernard and the Love of God

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153), founded, and ruled as abbot, the famous Cistercian abbey at Clairvaux, France.  He worked tirelessly for the unity and defense of Christendom while maintaining a great strictness of life.  Among his many beautiful works is his book, "On Loving God", from which the following is taken:

"Do you wish to hear from me why and how God should be loved?  I answer:  The reason for loving God is that, God is.  And the measure with which to love him?  Without measure.  Is this not enough?  Perhaps, but only to the wise.  But in any case, I am a debtor to the unwise (cf. Romans 1, 14): where a word to the wise is sufficient, to these also the law must be borne.  Therefore, I am not burdened to repeat this more profusely than profoundly because of those who are slow.  I say that there is a two-fold reason why God should be loved for his own sake: nothing is more just, nothing is more fruitful.  There is a two-fold sense to the question of why God should be loved: Should God be loved because of his merit, or by our due?  Of course, I answer both in the same way.  Clearly, no other reason occurs to me for loving him than for his own sake.  First, let us look at the question of his merit.  Now, he who gave himself for us has merited much from us.  Indeed, what more could one give than himself? Therefore, if the merit of God is sought for the reason why he should be loved, that is the principal one: that he first loved us.  Plainly, he is worthy to be loved in return, especially if we consider who, whom, and how much he loves.  Who is loved?  The one to whom every spirit confesses: 'You are my God; you have no need of my goods' (Psalm 15, 2).  And the true love of his majesty is not of one who seeks his own (cf. 1 Corinthians 13, 5).  To whom is such purity shown?  'When we were still his enemies, we were reconciled to God' (Romans 5, 10).  God freely loved his enemies.  And how much?  John tells us how much: 'God loved the world, so that he gave his only-begotten Son' (John 3, 16).  And Paul: 'God did not spare his own Son, but handed him over for us' (Romans 8, 32).  The Son himself said: 'Greater love than this no man has, to lay down his life for his friends' (John 15, 13).  Thus, the Just One has merited from the unjust, the Greatest One from the least, the Almighty One from the weak."