From a talk given at Chapter by Br. Peter Gao, a monk of New Clairvaux Abbey:
The Perfection of Love and Self-Giving
In his treatise ‘On Loving God’, Saint Bernard describes the gradual purification of love through four degrees.
The first degree is the love of self for one’s own sake. This is the beginning of love. In self-love, we seek what benefits us and what gives us happiness and security. This is not in itself sinful; it is part of our human nature. But it is limited because the center of love remains “me.”
The second degree is the love of God for our own sake. We begin to recognize that we cannot provide everything for ourselves. We discover God as the source of everything good, and therefore we love God because of the good we receive from Him. This is already a higher degree because we have begun to move beyond ourselves.
Then comes the third degree: the love of God for God’s sake. We gradually come to love God not merely because of what God gives us, but because of who God is. Our relationship with God is no longer primarily transactional. God is no longer simply the giver of gifts; God Himself becomes the gift. For Bernard, this is the fruit of grace and contemplation. As we experience God’s goodness, mercy, beauty, and love, our hearts are gradually attracted to God Himself.
Finally, Bernard speaks of the fourth degree: the love of self for God’s sake. At this stage, the self is no longer the center. We come to discover our true identity and our deepest happiness in God. We desire nothing that is separated from God’s will. Our deepest desire is that God be glorified, and we find our own fulfillment precisely in belonging completely to God. In this final degree, God is both the source and the end of our love.
It represents the fulfillment of communio: the human person becomes increasingly united with God, and his love becomes increasingly self-giving.
Peace and blessings,
Your brothers of New Clairvaux
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