O Perfect Love by Dorothy F. Gurney, 1885
Melody - "Caritas perfecta", Frederick C. Atkinson, 1885
O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne
That theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
Whom Thou forevermore dost join in one.
O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance
Of tender charity and steadfast faith,
Of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears nor pain nor death.
Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife
And to life's day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life.
Charity: the Divine Love (excerpts from The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis)
“But Divine Gift-love –Love himself working in a man – is wholly disinterested, desiring what is simply the best for the Beloved. … But Divine Gift-love in a man enables him to love what is naturally not loveable. … That such gift-love comes by grace and should be called charity, everyone will agree.”
The aforementioned are just some thoughts on love that I came across today. I'm always amazed at the vast perspective I gain when I stop and consider the different types of love that are prevalent in the various types of relationships between humans. I'm even more amazed at the type of love and relationship that can exist between divine and human. This has me wondering what the world would look like if we all stopped to think about love in its many contexts. How would things be different--or would they only be more confusing?
