g her long-lost
child, and, in the joy of her heart, pressing it to her bosom, is a
faint image of the joy which the soul will experience in the reunion
with her glorified body.

But this is not all. St. Thomas maintains* that, besides rising in
perfect beauty of form, all the just must rise in the bloom and vigor
of youth; otherwise our bodies would not, according to promise, rise
conformable to the glorious body of Jesus Christ. From this doctrine
it follows that all defect, or appearance of old age, as well as the
infirmities and deficiencies of infancy, will be completely removed,
and all the saints will enjoy the full perfection of human nature.
What consolation there is in all these glorious promises! To be
forever young and vigorous, forever blessed with perfect health of
mind and body, to be forever beyond the reach of time, which destroys
all beauty here below; to be clothed with a body that shall forever
be a stranger to suffering: these are some of the joys in store for
the children of God in the resurrection of the body.

* Respondeo dicendum, quod homo resurget absque omni defectu humanae
naturae: quia sicut Deus humanam naturam absque defectu instituit, ita
sine defectu reparabit. Deficit autem humana natura dupliciter. Uno
modo quia nondum perfectionem ultimam est consecuta. Alio modo, quia
jam ab ultima perfectionis recessit. Et primo modo deficit in pueris,
secundo modo deficit in senibus. Et ideo, in utrisque reducetur
humana natura per resurrectionem, ad statum ultimae perfectionis qui
est in juvenili aetate, ad quam terminatur motus augmenti, a qua,
incipit motus decrementi.--S. Thom. Suppl. q. 81, art. 1.

However, this is not all. Rising in glory means something more than
rising in mere beauty of form, bloom of youth, and the complete
perfection of human nature. It also implies a radiant brilliancy
wherewith the just will shine on the resurrection day. This is one of
the meanings of glory in the language of Scripture. Take the
following as an instance out of many: "And when Aaron spoke to all
the assembly of the children of Israel, they looked toward the
wilderness: and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud."*
That is, a brilliant and dazzling splendor burst forth in the
heavens. So, also, when Jesus was glorified in his transfiguration,
"His face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as
snow." Moreover, as a general rule, when celestial inhabitants
appeared in this w