Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/63

 charity is consumed by vices. S. Austin says in the “ City of God,” “ If we were not of a good nature we should not be harmed by vices ; for what harm can they do us save to deprive us of integrity, beauty, salvation, and peace?” (2) The soul without charity, being separated from God, dies— “ I am nothing”—that is, I am dead, I am separated from the truth, without which man is dead; 1 S. John iii. 14, “ He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” (3) Every work without charity is rendered useless—"Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, though I give my body to be burned.” S. Ambrose declares that he who has not charity lacks all good. From which state may we be preserved.

MORALLY, by the blind man the sinner is understood— Zeph. i. 17, “ They shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord.” As the blind does not see bodily, so the sinner does not see spiritually. Firstly, there are seven causes which hinder the bodily sight, which represent the seven mortal sins which produce spiritual blindness. Secondly, there are seven things which produce mental illumination.

I. On the first head it is to be noted that the seven causes of blindness and the seven sins are—(1) A swelling of the face, and this is pride; S. Austin says, “ My face is swollen so greatly that it does not suffer me to see.” (2) A darkness in the air: this is envy, whence the envious are spoken of as being blind—Wisd. ii. 21, “Their own malice blinded them.” It is also said of the envy of the Jews—1 Sam. xviii. 9, “ Saul eyed David from that day forward.” (3) A derangement of the eyes: this is anger—Ps. xxxi. 9, “ Mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.” (4) Dust or anything that falls into the eye: this is avarice. Dust is of those temporal things which darken—S. Austin says, “ I wandered after temporal things, and I was blinded."