We will now turn our attention to the pleasure and gratification which the blessed will experience by means of these five senses; and first of all we will inquire what satisfaction they will find in their sight. The power of sight will be so perfect that nothing can be hid from their eyes. They will see what is distant as distinctly as what is near, the smallest object as plainly as the largest, the dark will be to them as clear as the light. Their vision will be so undimmed that they will be able to gaze without flinching at the sun, even were its light a hundredfold more dazzling. Their sight will be so keen that no obstacle will offer a hindrance to it.

Now think what delight awaits thy sense of sight, when thy eyes first rest upon the glories of heaven. First they will behold the city itself, with its palaces and mansions, whereof the splendor and majesty is so great that the contemplation of these magnificent structures would afford pleasurable employment for a whole eternity.

In the second place, thou wilt gaze with delight upon the fair flowers, the trees, the gardens, and all the other beauteous sights that will arrest the eye in heaven. 

Thirdly, it will be an unspeakable pleasure to thee to behold thyself and all the other saints arrayed in beauty, glory, splendor, grace and majesty far surpassing anything seen in this world.

Fourthly, thou wilt see the incomparable beauty of the angels, for it is believed that those celestial spirits will assume bodies of great loveliness formed from the air, in order to render themselves visible to the blessed. This opinion is held by St. Anselm. And if the beauty of an angel immeasurably exceeds all human beauty, wilt thou not rejoice in the contemplation of so many thousands of angelic beings, all of surpassing loveliness, for all eternity?

Fifthly, on nothing will thine eyes rest with such keen delight as on the inexpressible beauty of Jesus and Mary, whose glorified bodies are so irresistibly charming, attractive, beautiful and majestic, that if the damned were permitted to behold them, they would no longer find hell intolerable.

Now consider what a fertile source of delight it will be, to be continually and forever surrounded by sights so enchanting and so sublime. Our natural inclination leads us here below to take long journeys for the sake of seeing some beauteous sight, to expend large sums to obtain some beauteous object, and even to imperil our souls in our eager search after what is beautiful.

Since the love of the beautiful is so deeply rooted in our nature, how strange that we do not yearn for the beauty of heaven. Why do we not close our eyes to the attractions of earth, that we may be found worthy to open them upon the splendors of heaven?