May 24

God is not love. Love is only one of the manifestations of God in a human being.

1

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is loving God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.

— 1 John 5:2–3

2

One of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”

Jesus answered, “The greatest is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

“The second is like this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

— Mark 12:28–31

3

Epicureanism leads to despair. The philosophy of duty is less dismal. But salvation consists in harmony between duty and happiness, in the unification of individual will with the will of God, in the faith that this highest will is directed by love.

— Amiel

4

Philanthropy includes justice.

— Vauvenargues

5

A sage said: my teaching is simple, and its meaning is easy to grasp. It consists in loving your neighbor as yourself.

— Chinese wisdom

6

The purpose of life is the permeation of love through all its phenomena, a slow, gradual transformation of evil life into good—it is the work of true life (because only a loving life is true life), it is the birth of true, i.e. loving, life.

7

Benevolence is absolute and real. So much benevolence as a man hath, so much life hath he. The perception of this law of laws awakens in the mind a sentiment which we call the religious sentiment, and which makes our highest happiness.

— Emerson

8

We need only one thing to be happy: to love, to love selflessly, to love everyone and everything, to cast in every direction the web of love—and to take whoever gets caught in it.

9

Is there anyone alive who does not know that blissful feeling, experienced at least once, most often in early childhood, which makes you want to love everyone: your neighbors, and your father, and your mother, and your brothers, and evil people, and your enemies, and a dog, and a horse, and little blades of grass; you want only for everyone to be well, for everyone to be happy, and more than that you want to be the one to make people’s lives better, to surrender yourself and your whole life to make sure everyone is well and happy. That is what love is and it is the only love that constitutes a human being’s life.

10

If you have the strength to act, then let your actions be loving; if you are too weak to act, then let your weakness be loving.

11

Human virtue is not far from us: all it takes is to want to love people, and it will come by itself.

Cleanse your soul from all pollutants and only love will remain. And, searching for its object, this love is not satisfied with you, choosing instead all living things, and also that which animates the living—God.