Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order. Following the Christian defeat at the Siege of Edessa, the Pope commissioned Bernard to preach the Second Crusade. The last years of Bernard's life were saddened by the failure of the crusaders, the entire responsibility for which was thrown upon him. Bernard died at age 63, after 40 years spent in the cloister. He was the first Cistercian monk placed on the calendar of saints, and was canonized by Pope Alexander III on 18 January 1174. Pope Pius VIII bestowed upon him the title "Doctor of the Church."
St. Bernard wrote On Loving God, a short treatise that is ostensibly about loving God but is more of an exposition on the topic of love itself. In addition to providing a summary of God’s love for people, the work, filled to the brim with Scripture, discusses why we love what we do.
This edition of On Loving God is specially formatted with a Table of Contents.
