August 29
The pledge of the inheritance
ven while still
in this world they enter his palace, the dwelling-place of the angels and
the spirits of the saints. For although they are not yet in possession
of that perfect inheritance prepared for them in the age to come, they
are as fully assured of it through the pledge they have received here on
earth as though they were already crowned, already reigning.
Christians find nothing strange in the fact that they are destined to reign in the world to come, since they have known the mysteries of grace beforehand. When man transgressed the commandment, the devil shrouded the soul with a covering of darkness. But with the coming of grace the veil is entirely stripped away, so that with clear eyes the soul, now cleansed and restored to its true nature, which was created pure and blameless, ever clearly beholds the glory of the true light, the true Sun of Righteousness, brilliantly shining in its inmost being.
| Augustine Day By Day | The Augustinians - St. Thomas of Villanova Province |
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman