unis omnibus hominibus. Alio modo secundum quod actu vel
habitu Deum cognoscit et amat, sed tamen imperfecte. Et haec est imago
per conformitatem gratiae. Tertio modo secundum quod homo Deum actu
cognoscit et amat perfecte. Et attenditur imago secundum
similitudinem gloriae. Prima ergo invenitur in omnibus hominibus.
Secunda vero in justis tantum. Tertia vero solum in beatis.--S.
Thomas, p. 1, q. 93, art. 4.

Suppose you enter an artist's studio, just as he has drawn the
outlines of a portrait. All the essential features are there--the
shape of the head, the eyes, ears, mouth, and whatever else is
necessary to constitute the human face; and it already bears a
striking resemblance to the man who is sitting for his portrait. You
return in a few days, and, though it is yet far from being finished,
the coloring has added so much that it is far more beautiful and
perfect than when you first saw it. Again, you see it when it is
completely finished, framed, and exposed to public view. How perfect!
how life-like it is! It actually seems to live and breathe. How vast
a deference between this exquisitely finished painting and the mere
outlines you first saw! This illustration teaches us, better than
abstract words could do, how the human soul is like God from the very
first, and how that likeness gradually increases by grace and the
practice of virtue, until it receives the last touch and finish in
the Beatific Vision.

From the very first moment of her existence, the soul is like to God,
because she is a spirit, and therefore immortal. She is endowed with
intelligence, free-will, memory, and whatever else belongs to a
spiritual substance. Evidently, this is already the image of God,
though, compared with what it will be by grace and the Beatific
Vision, it is as yet nothing more than the mere outlines.

Next comes baptism, by which the soul is raised to the supernatural
state. She is washed with the blood of Jesus, and clothed with the
robe of innocence, which, if we may use the expression, begins the
coloring or beautifying process. Faith, hope, and charity are infused
into her, by which she is enabled to lead a supernatural life. Then
come other sacraments, which have for their object to wash away
stains, remove imperfections, and to nourish, strengthen, beautify,
and gradually develop a greater resemblance to God.

But there is an immense difference between the senseless image we saw
on the canvas and the soul. The portr