38. Of the Four Gifts of Glorified Bodies

MOREOVER souls separated from mortal bodies which have bestowed upon them many hin drances and burdens, hold themselves to be in a more perfect condition than when joined to them. But where souls have possession of their own glorified bodies, they will now be to them neither a hindrance, nor burden nor torment, but rather endless joy. Moreover in order that a body may bestow joy in the soul, but not to be as an impediment to it in actions of blessedness or in works of glory, it must needs be endowed with four gifts. The first gift is Clearness. For the element of water will be glorified in bodies that are blessed, and therefore will be perspicuous and clear ; moreover even at the same time they will be possessed by a spirit, lustrous and glorious. And because the glorified body will be per- 196 spicuous and transparent, the glory of the soul will diffuse itself through it, and thus will be more lustrous than the sun by sevenfold. Nevertheless not all the bodies of the blessed will shine with equal clearness. For by how much the end of each is nobler, more lustrous and clear by so much even will the body shine with a greater light. And as star differs from star in clearness, so also in eternal life greater will be the difference, in proportion to the merits of each, of the glori fied bodies. The bodies of those infants or children who died before they are par takers of reason, can be likened to the moon's splendour. For they have not within themselves any light of their own proper merits, but from the glorious sun, that is Christ's death and His merits, they borrow and accept their own brightness. Another gift is Impassibility. For the glorified bodies will have in themselves the element of earth, firm and strong by glorification, in order that so they may not be able to suffer. For thenceforward neither the elements between themselves nor in blessed men will be contrary, whence it happens that these bodies are impassible. Thirdly the glorified soul will possess its own proper and the same blessed body ; on that account such a body can suffer from nothing. Adam indeed, first formed before he had allowed sin within himself, suffered in nothing ; and so long as that condition lasted was unable to suffer. Nevertheless the sin having been committed he was passible, and could suffer, — a thing which the matter itself has proved. But children who die without experience of the " saving font, and without actual sins, suffer not indeed in Limbus, but this not by reason of the power of resisting outward offence, which they do not possess ; for they are, not blessed but by the divine mercy. Indeed the glorified bodies of the Saints, even though they should be placed in hell, or under the earth, or in the deep of the sea, would be able to suffer no trouble or grief. The third gift of glorified bodies is Subtilty, which they will receive from the element of fire glorified in themselves, whereby even their own bodies will be rendered so exceedingly subtile that nothing will be able to re sist them, and nothing can offer a barrier or hindrance. Beyond this even noble souls will possess their bodies in a subtilty of this kind, and having been conquered and tamed beforehand by themselves, and brought to such subtilty, all grossness having been removed, they will be conjoined afresh. Finally the fourth gift is Agility, which they will obtain from the element of air, as an ornament in themselves. For if it behoves a body to be glorified, it must needs be rid of every burdensome weight. And thus the blessed soul, with its own glorified body, will be wherever it wishes in the briefest point of time. But just as the clearness of blessed bodies will not be equal, so also their Agility will be unequal. And these are the gifts of glorified bodies, with which after the resurrection they will be endowed. For these even the Lord Jesus is understood to have shown in His own mortal body. Clearness in His Transfiguration ; Impassibility when He transformed Himself into food the night before He suffered, with intense desire and exultation, "and without any anguish, which nevertheless is to be understood in accordance with His action, not in accordance with His condition ; Subtilty in being born without any pain of an untroubled Virgin ; Agility in walking upon the sea. The glorified bodies will have in addition a singular joy in the kingdom of God both in seeing and hearing. For they will see with their bodily eyes the glorified body of the Lord the Saviour Himself and of His ever to be venerated Mother the Virgin Mary, and in the same way the rest of the distinguished bodies of all the saints, full of glory and of celestial delights. They will behold even as an ornament the exceeding clearness of the heavens and the elements, and within an hour they will wander over heaven and earth, and will again return to the heavens. For this, with songs and in whatsoever ways they are able, and with every faculty they will together praise their God and Lord, where the sound most grateful and sweet will leap far to His ears ; and with these gifts will they ever in every age be at leisure. Further the glory of souls will overflow upon all the bodily powers of the soul, and through them penetrate as far as the external sense itself, which will abound with such joys, that by no one could it be believed that it were possible in this life. Nor will these joys have any end, but they will be continuous and perpetual. This then is the sensible, external kingdom of God, and the same is lowest in glory. But this very thing is shown to a man in the way aforesaid, in order that he may long for it, and that he may perform his work excellently in gaining virtues.