Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/121

 I. On the first head, it is noticed that we ought to forsake four things if we wish to follow Christ—(1) in forsaking earthly things by despising them, S. Luke xiv. 33, “ Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple (2) in leaving kinsfolk and parents for the sake of God, S. Matt. x. 37, “ He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me,” &c.; (3) in abandoning his own body by mortifying it; (4) in denying his own will. Of these two, S. Luke ix. 23, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

II. On the second head, it is noted that wre ought to imitate Christ in four ways—(1) in humility, S. Matt. xi. 29, “ Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart(2) in piety, S. Luke vi. 36, “ Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful;” (3) in charity, S. John xv. 17, “These things I command you, that ye love one another;” (4) in the bitterness of tribulations, 1 S. Peter ii. 21, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow His steps.” There are two right ways through which man walks to the kingdom of heaven, Wisd. x. 10, “She conducted the just through the right way, and shewed him the kingdom of God.” To which kingdom may we, &c.

THE Apostle makes mention of two things in these words. Firstly, he expresses the excellence that we ought to have, “ We have been planted together in the likeness of His death.” This is our merit that we may have in ourselves the likeness of His, that is of Christ’s, death. Secondly, he expresses what we ought to receive on account of this excellence, “ We shall be also in the likeness of His resurrec-