Love and Prayer to God

My God, because You are so good, I love You with all my heart
and for Your sake I love my neighbor as myself.
If I love You, Lord, it is not just because of heaven,
which You have promised;
if I fear to offend You, it is not because hell threatens me.
What draws me to You, O Lord, is Yourself alone; it is the sight of You
nailed to the cross for me, Your body bruised in the pains of death.
Your love so holds my heart that, if there were no heaven,
I would love You still. If there were no hell, I would even still fear
to offend You.
I do not need Your gifts to make me love You, for even
if I should have no help of hope at all
of all the things I do hope for, I would still love You
with that very same love.
Amen.

Saint Teresa of Avila