Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/30

 Of the first, S. John xii. 26, "If any man serve Me, let him follow Me." Of the second, Ps.c. 2, " Serve the Lord with gladness." Of the third, Ps. ii. 11, "Serve the Lord with fear." The first makes the service acceptable to the Lord; the second makes us ready in serving; the third preserves us in His service. But the Lord promises three rewards to His servants, viz., happiness, dignity, and eternity. Of the first reward, 1 Tim. iii. 13, "For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree." Of the second reward, S. Matt. xxv. 23, " Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things," etc. Of the third reward, Rev. vii. 15, " And serve Him day and night in His Temple;" and afterwards He " shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters." Eternity is a fountain of life. As Dionysius says, " Eternity is endless, and at the same time the whole and perfect possession of life." Of these three attributes, S. John vii. 26, " Where I am, there also shall My servant be." Where Christ is, there is joyful exultation and eternal delightfulness, to which for His sake may the Lord God bring us.

IN the preceding Gospel the Advent of Justice was treated of: in this Gospel the Advent of Grace is considered. Mention is here made of S. John Baptist, whose name is interpreted the grace of God; or, as he in whom the grace of God was. Four things are here spoken about S. John—(1) his imprisonment; (2) the question about the Advent of Christ by the disciples whom He sent; (3) the answer of the Lord ; (4) the manifold commendation of John. He was praised chiefly on four accounts