Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/122

 tion.” This is our reward, that we may have the likeness of the resurrection of Christ.

I. On the first head, it is to be noted, that there were five things in the death of Christ in which we ought to follow Him—(1) humility; (2) obedience. Of these two, Philip, ii. 8, “ He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death.” To the first the Lord invites us, S. Matt. xi. 29, “ Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart to the second, S. John xiv. 15, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” (3) Ineffable charity was in the death of Christ, S. John xv. 13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends;” and in this we ought to be like Him ourselves, S. John xv. 12, “This is My commandment, that ye love one another.” (4) Patience, 1 S. Peter ii. 23, “ When He suffered He threatened not;” and in this we ought to be made like unto Him, Heb. xii. 1, 2, “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross.” (5) Perseverance, because he who in all things perseveres unto death will be saved, Philip, ii. 8, “Obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross ;” but we ought to have the likeness of His death in our perseverance, S. Matt. x. 27, “But he that endureth unto the end shall be saved.

II. On the second head, it is to be noted, that the glory of our body, when it is conformed to the body of the glory of Christ, consists of seven things. (1) It will be lovely by the suitableness of all the members, S. August. (“City of God,” lib. xxii. c. 19), “ Thenceforth there will be no deformity, which now makes unsuitableness of parts, where also the things which are deformed may be corrected; and what is less than it ought to be, since the Creator knew, thence it will be supplied, and what is more than it ought to be will be taken away, the integrity of the material being preserved.” (2) There will be a wonderful sweetness of the outward appearance in the whole body, S. August., “ How great will be the sweetness of complexion when the Just shall shine as the Sun in the kingdom of His Father!” The beauty of all the outward appearance consists in these two things, S. August., “ All beauty of the body is from the suitableness of its parts, as by a certain sweetness of complexion but there will be then all beauty in our bodies, Philip, iii. 21,