Dying in love, to love, by love, for love, and of love (St. Francis de Sales)

   Our divine Lover died amongst the flames and ardors of love, by reason of the infinite charity which he had towards us, and by the force and virtue of love: that is he died in love, by love, for love, and of love. For, though his cruel torments were sufficient to have killed anyone, death could never have entered into the life of him who keeps the keys of life and death, unless divine love, which handles those keys, had opened the gates to death, to let it ravage that divine body and despoil it of life. 

   

   [C]rying out with a loud voice he gives up his spirit into his Father's hands, to show that, since he had strength and breath enough not to die, so had he love so great that he could no longer live, but would by his death revive those who without it could never escape death, nor have the chance of true life. 

    Wherefore our Saviour's death was a true sacrifice, and a sacrifice of holocaust, which he himself offered to his Father for our redemption: for, though the pains and distress of his passion were so great and violent that any but he would have died of them, yet he would not have died of them unless he himself had pleased, and unless the fire of his infinite charity had consumed his life. 

    He was then the sacrificer himself, who offered himself unto his Father and immolated himself, dying in love, to love, by love, for love, and of love. 

--St. Francis de Sales,
Treatise on the Love of God,
Book X, Chapter 17 

Image source: School of Bellini, Christo Morto, Scuola Gande di San Rocco, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SCHOOL_of_Bellini_-_Christ_in_devotion_%28San_Rocco%29.jpg