Prologue

It seems that there is a difference between physical and spiritual pleasures, for physical pleasures are manifest to people who have surrendered to the senses, and the spiritual pleasures are hidden to them, whereas the latter are manifest to spiritual men. (Cf. Gregory the Great, Homilies on the Gospels, bk. 2, homily 36, para. 1 (CCSL 141:331–32; PL 76:1266A); Aquinas, Office of Corpus Christi, lect. 7 in Matins; Catena Aurea on Luke, at 14:16, ch. 14, lect. 4.) Hence it says in Revelation 2:17: to the one who gains the victory I shall give the hidden manna. (In ST I-II.112.5, Thomas uses this text to explain that through signs orexperiences someone can know whether he has grace, although this knowledgeis not as certain as knowledge through revelation.) And since this homily is about our spiritual refreshment, let us ask the generous distributor of this delight that he may give me something to say in praise, et cetera.