MEDITATION OF THE DAY
More Will Be Given
In eternal life, man is united to God. God himself is our reward and the end of all our labors…. Union with God consists in seeing God perfectly: We see now through a glass darkly, but then face to face (1 Cor 13:12). Union with God consists in knowing God perfectly. For the better one is known, the more perfectly one is loved…. Union with God consists in praising God perfectly: “We shall behold, we shall love, and we shall praise,” as Augustine says. Eternal life is the perfect fulfillment of desires, since each of the blessed will have more than he desired or hoped for. The reason is that in this life no man can fulfill his desires, nor can any creature satisfy a man’s craving, for God alone satisfies and infinitely surpasses man’s desire, which for that reason is never at rest except in God: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” And since in heaven the saints will possess God perfectly, it is evident that their desires will be satisfied and that their glory will surpass their expectations. Hence our Lord said, Enter into the joy of the Lord….
Thus, if we desire pleasure, there will be supreme and most perfect delight, in that its object will be God, the sovereign good…. Likewise, if we desire honors, all honor will be there. If we desire knowledge, there will be most perfect knowledge, because we shall know all the natures of things and all truth—and whatever we wish, we shall know. We shall possess whatever we desire to possess, together with eternal life itself: All good things came to me together with her (Wis 7:11). To the righteous their desire shall be given (Prv 10:24). Eternal life consists in perfect security. In this world there is no perfect security, since the more someone has and the higher his position, the more he has to fear and the more he wants. But in eternal life there is neither sorrow, nor toil, nor fear…. Eternal life consists in the pleasant companionship of all the blessed, a companionship that is replete with delight, since each one will possess all good things together with the blessed. They will all love one another as themselves, and therefore will rejoice in the happiness of others’ goods as their own. Consequently the joy and gladness of one will be as great as the joy of all.
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Saint Thomas Aquinas († 1274) was a Dominican priest from Italy. He remains one of the Church’s premier Doctors. / From The Aquinas Catechism which includes The Three Greatest Prayers, Commentaries on the Lord’s Prayer, The Hail Mary, and the Apostles’ Creed. © 1990, Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, NH. www.sophiainstitute.com. Used with permission.
