A Christian should always remember that the value of his good works is not based on their number and excellence, but on the love of God which prompts him to do these things.
John Of The CrossRead
To love is to be transformed into what we love. To love God is therefore to be transformed into God.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Loving something deeply changes us to embody its qualities.
This quote by John Of The Cross encapsulates the profound impact of love on our identity and being. When we love, especially the divine, we undergo a transformation that aligns our essence with that which we cherish, reflecting the attributes and qualities of our beloved. In loving God, we aspire to embody God's love and nature, leading us to a deeper spiritual existence.
Themes
LoveTransformationSpiritualityIdentityGod
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon about the nature of love and spirituality.
More from John Of The Cross
All quotes βLive in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing.
John Of The CrossRead
In sorrow and suffering, go straight to God with confidence, and you will be strengthened, enlightened and instructed.
John Of The CrossRead
Abide in peace, banish cares, take no account of all that happens, and you will serve God according to his good pleasure and rest in him.
John Of The CrossRead
To reach satisfaction in all_x000D_ _x000D_ desire its possession in nothing,_x000D_ _x000D_ To come to the knowledge of all_x000D_ _x000D_ desire the knowledge of nothing._x000D_ _x000D_ To come to possess all_x000D_ _x000D_ desire the possession of nothing._x000D_ _x000D_ To arrive at being all_x000D_ _x000D_ desire to be nothing.
John Of The CrossRead
Where there is no love, pour love in, and you will draw love out.
John Of The CrossRead
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It was you I thought of all the time, I gave to them the love you did not need: lavished on them a love that was not theirs.
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We only regard those unions as real examples of love and real marriages in which a fixed and unalterable decision has been taken. If men or women contemplate an escape, they do not collect all their powers for the task. In none of the serious and important tasks of life do we arrange such a "getaway." We cannot love and be limited.
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