A Treatise on the Ineffable Mystery of our Redemption

Extract

After the goodness of Christ our Lord, his charity for mankind, which proceeds from his goodness, is seen. This shines forth so clearly in the Mysteries of his Incarnation and Passion that the Saints, especially Saint Augustine, assign it as their cause. (De Cat. Rudib. c.4). For the Saviour came, as he said, “to cast fire on the earth”, and he knew that the surest way to kindle it was to show the depth of his love for us. We see this in profane love: those who wish to win it take every means of manifesting their affection for their beloved, as was done by our most merciful Redeemer who showed men how tenderly he loved them by this deed. This is why the Incarnation is specially attributed to the Holy Ghost, who is essentially love. In order to treat of this divine love, we must speak of its two grades or differences. The Saints declare there are two kinds of grace, the one prevenient (antecedent) by which our Lord prepares man for the renouncement of sin and for justification, the other consequent grace which remains with him after justification in order that he may perform good works and live as a child of God. Thus we may imagine two loves in our Lord, the one prevenient, the other consequent, for though in him there is neither first nor last, past nor future, for all things are present to him, yet our minds find this order and succession in the nature of things, though it may not exist in them.