Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/127

 man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” The fifth, the foretaste *of eternal blessedness, Psal. lxxviii. 25, “Man did eat angels’ food.” S. August., “Brought in within I know not to what sweetness, which if it is perfected in me, I know not what eternal life is, unless it be that.” The sixth, in the possession of joy by every virtue, because it is joy to have so many gifts of the Holy Spirit, and those twelve fruits which the Apostle enumerated—Gal. v. 22, 23, “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ”— which are therefore called fruits, because they more refresh the mind than can be expressed by words. Prov. ix. 5, “ Come, eat of My bread.” The seventh, the exultation by the testimony of conscience, Prov. xv. 15, Vulg., “A secure mind is like a continual feast.” 2 Cor. i. 12, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience.”

Of the just man it is said, Isai. xxxiii. 16, “Bread shall be given him.” The small fishes are the joys in the presence of the saints, who are even now taken away from the most bitter sea of this world, who frequently come and console the just “ who are in the way.” There are, indeed, some martyrs who are wasted, as Laurence and others, who, being afflicted with fires and differents torments, were smiling brightly, and so by their mirth proclaimed that they had infinite delights within, by which they could despise external torments. 2 Cor. xi. 27, 30, “If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern my infirmities.” 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities. I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake.” Concerning this bapquet of the just it is said, S. Matt. xxii. 4, “ Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed.” At such banquets, which the wicked know not of, the just are enjoying all the day long. Psal. lxviii. 4, Vulg., “ Let the just feast and rejoice before God.” If the righteous so feast in the present time, what will it be in the time to come? Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of heaven. To which kingdom may Jesus Christ lead us.