Bonaventure, on Wis 4:10

“He pleased God and was beloved, and living among sinners he was translated.”

“Pleasing God, namely through true faith, according to that passage in Hebrews 11: "Without faith it is impossible to please God": he was made beloved, on account of perfect love, according to that passage in Proverbs 8: "I love those who love me": and living, namely through grace, not dying through sin; among sinners, namely undefiled, which is a very great thing, since it is written in the Psalm: "With the perverse you shall be perverted"; but the just man is as a lily among thorns, because he neither loses the brightness of his purity nor the fragrance of his good name: Song of Songs 2: "As the lily among thorns" etc. He was taken away, from the exile of this world to the heavenly homeland, from death to life, from struggle to the crown. It should be noted that the transfer is manifold: the first, from sin to grace: 1 John 3: "We know that we have been transferred from death," namely of sin, "to life," of grace, "because we love the brethren." The second, from imperfect grace to perfect grace: 2 Corinthians 3: "We are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." The third, from perfect grace to glory: of which it speaks here: He was taken away.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.

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