necessary for divine vision. If you possess them, Christ says to
you, "See," and you become really seeing. This is the first of the
four chief ways in which Christ, our Lord, says "See."

ON THE FIRST COMING OF CHRIST, IN THE FLESH

NEXT, He shows us what we shall see when He says, "The Bridegroom
cometh." Christ, our Bridegroom, says this word in Latin: Venit.
The word expresses two tenses, the past and the present, and yet
here it indicates the future. And this is why we must consider three
comings of our Bridegroom Jesus Christ. At His first coming He was
made man for love of man. The second coming is daily and frequent in
every loving soul, with new graces and new gifts, as man is able to
receive them. In the third coming, He will come manifestly on the
dreadful day of judgment or at the hour of each man's death. In all
these comings we must observe three things, the cause, the interior
mode, and the external work.

The cause of the creation of angels and men is the infinite goodness
and nobleness of God; He wished that the wealth and blessedness,
which are Himself, should be revealed to reasonable creatures, for
them to enjoy in time, and in eternity above time. The reason why
God became man, is His inconceivable love, and the distress of all
men, lost since the fall in original sin, and unable to raise
themselves again. But the reason why Christ, according to His
divinity and His humanity, accomplished His works on earth, is
fourfold--namely, His divine love, which is without measure; the
created love, which is called charity, and which He had in His soul
by the union of the Eternal Word and the perfect gift of His Father;
the great distress of human nature; and the glory of His Father.