Page:IncarnationofJesus.djvu/103

 more than  the  smallest  participation  of  the  infinite  happiness  of  God. The blessed  in  heaven  find  therein  their happiness; that  is,  in  entering  into  the  immense  ocean  of the  happiness  of  God:  Enter  Thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord. This is  the  paradise  which  God  bestows  on  the  soul  at the  moment  when  it  enters  into  possession  of  his  eternal kingdom.

God, in  creating  man  at  the  beginning,  did  not  place him on  earth  to  surfer,  but  put  him  into  the  paradise  of pleasure. He put  him  in  a  place  of  delight,  in  order  that he might  pass  thence  to  heaven,  where  he  should  enjoy for all  eternity  the  glory  of  the  blessed. But by  sin  unhappy  man  made  himself  unworthy  of  the  earthly,  and closed against  himself  the  gates  of  the  heavenly  para dise, wilfully  condemning  himself  to  death  and  to  ever lasting misery. But the  Son  of  God,  in  order  to  rescue man from  such  a  state  of  ruin,  what  did  he  do? From blessed and  most  happy  as  he  was,  he  chose  to  become afflicted and  tormented. Our Redeemer  could,  indeed, have rescued  us  from  the  hands  of  our  enemies  without suffering. He could  have  come  on  earth  and  continued in his  happiness,  leading  here  below  a  pleasant  life,  receiving  the  honor  justly  due  to  him  as  King  and  Lord of all. It was  enough,  as  far  as  regarded  the  redemption,  that  he  should  have  offered  to  God  one  drop  of blood,  one  single  tear,  to  redeem  the  world  and  an infinity  of  worlds:  "the  least  degree  of  the  suffering  of Christ  "  (says  the  Angelic  Doctor)  "  would  have  sufficed for  redemption,  on  account  of  the  infinite  dignity  of  his Person." But no:  "  Having  joy  set  before  Him,  He  endured  the  Cross.   He  renounced  all  honors  and  pleasures