He must rise again from the dead (Jo 20: 9)
Beginning with this simple statement, that Christ must rise again from the dead, Aquinas, pouring out all his affection for the mystery of the Risen Lord says, that there are five things to be noted:2
1. The infinite goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ
2. His delightful beauty
3. His wonderful love
4. The joyful solemnity of God
5. And the fervent charity of the women
Affections
By looking at the highlighted expressions above we can glimpse at something St. Thomas Aquinas is generally not known for, that is, the expression of his affections or emotions.
Speaking of Christ’s delightful beauty, he dwells on something very unusual for his style and character. Aquinas says that the beauty of Christ who rose is expressed by the word Nazarene which means ‘a flower among flowers whose beauty remains.’ The book of the Song of Songs says,
I am a flower of Sharon, a lily of the valley.
But he continues, there were in Christ three kinds of flowers: red, black, and white. The red are the drops of blood; the black, the stripes of the wounds; and the white, the splendors of his glorified Body. The book of Songs says, My lover is radiant [white] and ruddy [red]; and in reference to the black flowers, he quotes 1 Pe 2: 24 (Is 53): By his wounds we have been healed. Jesus was altogether blooming, because girt with roses (drops of blood); adorned with violets (with the stripes of wounds); entrenched with lilies (with the splendors of the glorified Body): The flowers appear on the earth (Song 2: 12).
The saint concludes this short Easter homily referring to the devoted love of the women who went to the sepulcher: they teach us to seek Jesus according to his own promise, if we wish to find him. He seeks him by faith who seeks the light of his truth. He earnestly seeks him in hope who looks for the glory of his majesty. And fervently they seek him in charity who long for the sweetness of his goodness. These are the three Marys who came to the sepulcher.
The homily ends with a one-line wonderful prayer, which we can all use as our Easter petition: O Lord Jesus! Make us to seek Thee and to find Thee. Amen.
HAPPY EASTER!
Author: The Contribution of Cornelio Fabro to Fundamental Theology. Reason and Faith: cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-9315-2
1Caravaggio, Doubting Thomas, from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category: Doubting_Saint_Thomas_by_Caravaggio#/media/File: Incredulit%C3%A0_di_San_Tommaso_(particolare).jpg, accessed April 17, 2023. 2 John M. Ashley, Ninety-nine Homilies of St. Thomas Aquinas upon the Epistles and Gospels, (Omaha, NE: Patristic Publishing, 2019), Kindle version. The Easter Homilies: II.
The hyperlinks provided by Father Marcelo are not active in this Reflection, as the publishing program does not allow it. By adding a www, or https, you should be able to get to his intended locations.
–Paul
