Love

April 19

 Let us pause a bit in the virtue of love of God. What is this love? Before giving an answer to this question, we must be aware that one is the substantial love of God and love another accidental, and the latter in turn is in love distinguished accidental accidental sensitive and spiritual love. Having made this distinction, we turn now to answer the above question.
The substantial love of God is plain and simple act of choice, with which God will put before all other reality, because of his infinite goodness. He who loves this way God loves with the love of charity substantial. But if this love God joins substantial softness, smoothness if it contains and keeps all of it at will, then we have accidental spiritual love. If this descends gently in addition to heart and feel with ardor, sweetness, we then love accidental sensitive.
(January 9, 1915, to Raffaelina Cerase - Letters. II, p. 291)

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