Thomas Aquinas Commentary Matthew 25:31-46

"But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, [even] these least, ye did it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me. And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life." — Matthew 25:31-46 (ASV)

Above, the Lord set forth different parables pertaining to the Judgment; here, however, He openly deals with His Judgment. He does three things:

1. He deals with the coming of the Judge.
2. He deals with the gathering of those to be judged; this is where it is said, And all nations shall be gathered together before him.
3. He deals with the Judgment itself; this is where it is said, And the king shall say, etc.

Concerning the first part, four things should be considered:

1. The condition of the coming Judge is mentioned.
2. His dignity is considered.
3. His ministers are considered.
4. His judicial authority is considered.

When it is said, When the Son of man shall come, there is no doubt that this is none other than the Son of God.

But why does He call Himself the Son of man rather than the Son of God? One reason is that He will judge as the Son of man: He hath given him power to do judgment, because he is the Son of man (John 5:27). And He does this for three reasons:

1. He does this so that He might be seen by all people; for by an appearance of His divinity He would not be able to be seen except by the good. Hence, if He is to be seen by all, He must be seen in the form of a man. Every eye shall see him (Revelation 1:7).
2. This will also be done on account of Christ’s merits, for He merited this by His Passion: He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. For which cause, God also hath exalted him (Philippians 2:8–9).
3. Similarly, this will be done so that when He is about to judge He may appear in the same form in which He was judged: O that a man might so be judged with God, as the son of man is judged with his companion (Job 16:22).

Furthermore, He will judge as man due to God’s clemency, so that people may be judged by a man: We have not a high priest who cannot have compassion on our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15). Therefore, He will be the Judge as the Son of man.

And of what dignity will He be? He will come in his majesty; They shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with great power and majesty (Luke 21:27). But what can be understood by His majesty? It should be said that it is His divinity, because even though He will appear in the form of a man, He will appear with His divinity. Hence, the Apostle says: The Lord himself shall come down from heaven with commandment and with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:15). This is also said in Acts chapter 9. Or ‘in his majesty’ means in His glory, because His body will be glorious, and He will come with a glorious company. Hence, it is said above, The Son of man shall come in the glory (Matthew 15:27).

And so, He adds, And all the angels with him. Here, He discusses His ministers. This can be understood as the heavenly spirits: Who makest thy angels spirits (Psalms 103:4). And why will He come with them? It is because they are the guardians of people: He hath given his angels charge over thee (Psalms 90:11). Therefore, they will come as witnesses, because good people received their guardianship, while the wicked did not, but rather rejected it: We would have cured Babylon, but she is not healed (Jeremiah 51:9). Or it is said, all the angels, meaning the preachers, or teachers of the truth: The lips of the priests shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth (Malachi 2:7). To them belongs judicial power, as Augustine says. The Lord will enter into judgment and all his saints with him (Isaiah 3:14); Her husband is honorable in the gates, when he sitteth among the senators of the land (Proverbs 31:23).

Then His judicial power follows: Then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. We should not understand these words as referring to a physical seat; but rather, people and angels are His seat. He will sit upon them because He will exercise His Judgment through them. Concerning people, it is said above in Matthew chapter 19, that they will sit upon twelve seats, etc. Concerning the angels, it is said: Whether thrones, or dominations, etc.; and in Psalm 79 it is said: Thou sittest upon the cherubims (Psalms 79:2); and Thou hast sat on the throne, who judgest justice (Psalms 9:5).

Afterwards, the gathering of those to be judged is related, and secondly, their division is related. He says, therefore: And all nations shall be gathered together. By nations, not only are the nations meant, but all people who were born from Adam until the end of the world: We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10). The little children who have been born are also among them, because even if they have nothing by their own merit, nevertheless, they have something, namely, the guilt from the first man or grace from Christ’s sacraments.

Hence, it should be noted that not all these people will be gathered together to the same place; but there will be four categories of those who will be present at the Judgment. Some people will be present so that they may be judged by an evaluation of their merits; of these, some will be damned, others will be saved. But others will receive their sentence without any evaluation.

For ‘to be judged’ can mean two things: either to receive one’s sentence (because all will either be rewarded or punished), or it can mean a giving of the reason for one’s sentence by an evaluation of one’s merits. This evaluation will not be needed for everyone, because the sins and merits will especially be evaluated for those who were joined to Christ through faith. Those who are completely unassociated with Christ will not need an evaluation, according to what is said in John 3:18: He that doth not believe is already judged.

Gregory gives an example: ‘He who welcomes his enemy during war does not expect a judgment, but is already judged; in like manner, etc.’ Similarly, there are some people who have nothing in common with the world because they have left all things for Christ’s sake, and these people will appear as judges; hence: You who have followed me, shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).

Therefore, who are they who will be judged? It will be the faithful who were involved with temporal things. Some of them have used these things well, as it is written: Charge the rich to do good, to be rich in good work, to give easily, to communicate to others, etc. (1 Timothy 6:18). Those, however, who are held back and entangled by them, will be damned.

But what is the need for the Judgment? Does not everyone receive what he deserves at his death? Why, then, will they be judged? It should be observed that the reward which is given to people according to God’s just judgment is twofold: the first reward is the stole of the soul, and the second is the stole of the body. Regarding the stole of the soul, it is received at death, but later at the Judgment they shall also receive the glory of the body.

Hence, regarding the soul, all souls will receive their bodies at the same time. As for the punishment of the bodies of the damned, their bodies shall all be damned at the same time; hence: They shall be gathered together as in the gathering of one bundle (Isaiah 24:22), because they are one in sin. We can take this gathering to be a gathering in reference to place, because all will be gathered into one place: I will gather together all nations and will bring them down into the valley of Josaphat (Joel 3:2). This is because those who are saved will be saved through Christ’s Passion, and those who are damned are damned through contempt of His Passion; for that reason, the Judgment shall take place where Christ’s Passion occurred.

And it should be understood that the good will come to meet Him in the air, but some people will remain on earth, according to Origen. This gathering will not be in reference to a specific place; instead, they will be scattered and gathered together in different places. This corresponds with what was said above, namely: As lightning cometh out of the east and appeareth even into the west: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Matthew 24:27); they shall be everywhere that they are located. Hence, He intends there to be a spiritual gathering. For now, some are scattered away from Him, while others keep themselves with Him; but then all will be gathered together: All flesh together shall see the salvation of our God (Isaiah 40:5).

Then He discusses the separation of those judged: And he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats. Firstly, the separation is portrayed according to the names of those judged; and secondly, it is portrayed according to the places of those judged, where it is said, And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, etc. He says, therefore: And he shall separate them one from another.

Observe that while the world lasts, the wicked are mixed together with the good. There is hardly any group of people in which there are not some evil individuals; As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters (Song of Solomon 2:2). But in that Judgment, the wicked will be in one place and the good in another; He shall judge between the sheep and the goats.

But why does He call good people sheep? This is on account of four things:

1. We find innocence in sheep: These that are the sheep, what have they done? (2 Samuel 24:17).
2. Similarly, we find patience in sheep: He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7). Likewise: We are counted as sheep for the slaughter (Psalms 43:22).
3. Moreover, we find obedience in sheep, because they are gathered by the shepherd’s voice: My sheep hear my voice (John 10:27).
4. Again, we find in sheep an abundance of products: as we perceive many products from sheep, so there are many fruits of good people: You ate the milk, and you clothed yourselves with the wool (Ezekiel 34:3).

Likewise, by goats He means sinners, because it is an animal that moves headlong and is also avid for intercourse; it has the opposite properties of sheep. Moreover, it was offered for sin.

Afterwards, the division as to position is related: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. What is understood by the right hand, and what by the left? It can be said that it will literally take place in this manner, with the good placed on one side and the wicked on the other. Or it can be said that the right hand is more noble, for which reason those who are good will have a more noble place, because they shall go to meet Christ in the air. Origen refers this to the final reward: because those who have directed their intention to God will be on the right hand, meaning they share in the eternal reward. The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand (Ecclesiastes 10:2). Likewise: The Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand (Proverbs 4:27).

Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand, etc. (Matthew 25:34). Here the Judgment itself is discussed. Three things happen concerning the good:

1. The sentence regarding them is pronounced.
2. The astonishment of those saved is related, which is where it says, Then shall the just answer him (Matthew 25:37).
3. His explanation is related, which is where it says, The king answering shall say to them (Matthew 25:40).

Concerning the first point (the pronouncement of the sentence), He does two things:

1. He invites the good to their reward.
2. He compares their reward to their merit.

He says, therefore: Then shall the king say.

And He calls Himself a king because it belongs to a king to judge: The king, that sitteth on the throne of judgment, scattereth away all evil with his look (Proverbs 20:8).

But there is a question: Will the Judgment occur by a vocal sentence? Some say that it will occur by a vocal sentence, just as the words of this passage indicate, and that the Judgment will take a long time; Lactantius said that it will last for a thousand years. But this is not true. Instead, this should be referred to an interior speech; He is putting before the minds of people that the good are deserving of glory, and the wicked are deserving of punishment. Hence, what these individuals say will not be vocal, but according to an interior prompting. Augustine says this, namely, that it will happen by Divine power that it will occur to everyone what he did. This is evident from the words of the Apostle: Their conscience bearing witness to them: and their thoughts between themselves accusing or also defending one another, in the day when the Lord shall judge the secrets of men (Romans 2:15–16). Therefore, these words should be referred to an interior speech.

And it is evident that He mentions three things: namely, the invitation is related, the reason for the sentence is related, and the reward itself is related. The invitation is related where it is said: Come, ye blessed of my Father.

But why does He say, Blessed of my Father? It is because the invitation will not be according to our merits, but according to the fact that we are strengthened by Christ’s merits. Hence: To him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with me in my throne: as I also have overcome and am set down with my Father in his throne (Revelation 3:21); Behold I dispose to you, as my Father hath disposed to me, a kingdom (Luke 22:29). ‘I, inasmuch as I am a man, so much do I enjoy the Word.’ It is likewise concerning the body: Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory (Philippians 3:21). Come, meaning ‘be conformed’: When he shall appear we shall be like to him (1 John 3:2).

But why are the good not now joined to God? I say that they are joined to God by an incomplete charity. Similarly, they are joined to God by a dark faith; but then they shall be gathered together in a full charity, and in a faith that is not dark, because The corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth down the mind that museth upon many things .

The reason for this reward is twofold: the cause of damnation is from humankind, and the cause of salvation is from God: Destruction is thy own, O Israel: thy help is only in me (Hosea 13:9). Hence, we find the cause of temporal and eternal salvation. Temporal salvation is the adding of glory, and this is mentioned when it is said, Come, ye blessed of my Father. When the Lord says someone is His, He makes them His; hence: He spoke and they were made (Psalms 32:9). Thus, His blessing is to infuse grace; hence, He says, Of my Father, because He is not from us but from God: Every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). Likewise, the other cause is Divine predestination, and this is indicated when He says, The kingdom prepared for you. Hence, the Apostle says: Whom he predestinated, them he also called (Romans 8:30); Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard: neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

And He says, From the foundation of the world. But how is this? Has He not chosen them from eternity? He chose us in him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). And it should be said that He chose them from eternity, but He manifested them from the foundation of the world.

But what is the reward that He mentions: Possess you the kingdom prepared for you? This kingdom is the kingdom of heaven: Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages (Psalms 144:13). He who possesses God possesses a kingdom: And hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests (Revelation 5:11).

And He says, Possess, meaning ‘enter into possession.’ Now, to enter into possession properly belongs to him who had a right to possess; this right we have by divine ordination. Likewise, we have this right by Christ’s acquisition, who acquired this for us. We also have this by His grace: Who is the pledge of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). Similarly, what is owned peacefully is called a possession; hence, full ownership is signified. Now we possess God but not tranquilly, because a person is disquieted in many ways; but hereafter, there will be the tranquil possession of God: Unto this are you called, that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9); He shall possess life everlasting (Matthew 19:29).

For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat, etc. Above, the sentence of the reward was related, and here it is related concerning the meriting of the reward. From this we should consider that there is a twofold cause of beatitude: one cause is on the part of God, that is to say, God’s blessing; the other is on our part, meaning our merit which is from our free will. For people should not be lazy but cooperate with God’s grace, as it is said: By the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace in me hath not been void (1 Corinthians 15:10).

But although there are many good and meritorious works, He only mentions the works of mercy. On account of this, some people found an occasion to err, saying that they are saved only through works of mercy, or are damned through their omission. They thought that if someone committed many sins and applied himself to the works of mercy, he will be saved, according to what is written: Redeem thou thy sins with alms, and thy iniquities with works of mercy to the poor (Daniel 4:24). This is contrary to what is stated: They who do such things, namely sins, are worthy of death (Romans 1:32). And in Galatians 5:6, the Apostle, after an enumeration of the sins of the flesh, says: They who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God. Therefore, this opinion should not be held. But it can be that someone abstains, repents, and in this way through alms, can be freed from his sins; for a person should begin almsdeeds with himself: Have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God (Psalms 30:24).

Then why is there more mention of these works than of the others? It should be said, according to Gregory, that He sets forth these as lesser works; for if they do not do these works, which nature suggests, neither will they do other, much greater works. This is consistent with the words of the Gospel, because these people say: When did we see thee hungry and fed thee, etc.? It is as though they were to say: ‘This work is very small.’ And since they regard the work to be smaller than it is, the Lord extols it more, saying: What you did to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Augustine says that every person in the world sins, yet not all are damned; but he is damned who does not repent and does not make satisfaction for his sins.

But he who repents and promises to make satisfaction through works of mercy is saved. Origen says that ‘works of mercy’ either refers to all good works, or these specific ones are mentioned to imply other works of the same kind.

And it is indicated that alms are not only done for one’s neighbor, but also for oneself; for if someone feeds a hungry person, much more should he feed himself when he is hungry, and likewise concerning the other works.

Likewise, not only are there corporal alms, but also spiritual alms. For that reason, whatever a person does, either for his own benefit or for the benefit of his neighbor, all are included under the works of mercy.

Hence, all works are included either under these works or under their contrary works. There are seven works of mercy, but only six are mentioned. These seven works are found in this verse: Visito, poto, cibo, redimo, tego, colligo, condo.

But there is no mention here of burial. Why? It is to exclude the error of those who said that souls do not obtain rest until their bodies are buried. But this is not true, because the soul receives nothing from the body when it is separated from it. Therefore, He gives six works of mercy which are bestowed to remedy some need. And because certain needs are general and others are particular, He first discusses the general needs, and secondly, the particular needs. And because some general needs are external and others are internal, He first mentions internal needs, and secondly, He mentions external needs. He says, therefore: I was hungry, and you gave me to eat. This is stated in Isaiah 58:7: Deal thy bread to the hungry.

I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; because, on account of Me, you gave to your neighbor. Hence: He who shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water, he shall not lose his reward (Matthew 10:42). Concerning these two works of mercy, it is said: If thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat: if he thirst, give him water to drink (Proverbs 25:21). Likewise, there are external needs, and these are twofold: one connected with clothing and another not connected with clothing. He says therefore: I was a stranger, and you took me in. Hospitality do not forget: for by this some, being not aware of it, have entertained angels (Hebrews 13:2). As to the work of mercy connected with clothing, He says: I was naked, and you covered me. If I have despised him that was perishing for want of clothing; and the passage continues, If his sides have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep (Job 31:19–20); When thou shalt see one naked, cover him (Isaiah 58:7).

Likewise, there are particular natural needs, some internal and others external. A natural need that is also internal is sickness; hence, He says: I was sick, and you visited me. As to an external need, He says: I was in prison, and you came to me. And by prison any tribulation can be understood: You also had compassion on them that were in bands (Hebrews 10:34).

Then shall the just answer him, saying. Here a mental answer is related. It is characteristic of good souls to consider the things that they do for God to be little: When you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: We are unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10). And, I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Hence, they say that they acted unknowingly; and they, considering their works to be small, will say these things. Hence: When did we see thee hungry and thirsty, etc.? Therefore, being astonished, they will say these things.

And the king answering shall say to them. He appeases their astonishment, for when a person humbles himself, God also exalts this person; when a person belittles himself, God in turn praises him. Hence: As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. He that receiveth you, receiveth me (Matthew 10:40), because the head and the members are one body. And He says, brethren, because they are brothers who do God’s will; hence, it is said above that stretching forth His hands He said: These are my brethren (Matthew 12:48). And it should be observed that alms are given to good people: Give to the good, and receive not a sinner .

And should one never give to a sinner? Alms should be given to him when he is in extreme need, but one should rather give first to just people; therefore, He says, my brethren. For many come who are not God’s brethren; hence: Every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God (1 John 4:3). Hence, other things being equal, it is better that we give alms to the good. Nevertheless, one should give to the wicked for their needs in a time of necessity, not on account of an alleviation of sin, but on account of an alleviation of nature. Are not all people God’s brethren? Indeed; but some are His brethren by nature, others by grace. By nature, all people, good and evil, are God’s brethren: Peril from false brethren (2 Corinthians 11:26). By grace, only good people are God’s brethren: He is the Firstborn amongst many brethren (Romans 8:29). And one should primarily pity and help these people; hence, the Apostle says: Let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith (Galatians 6:10).

But why does He call them the least? He says this in relation to what people think. It is well known that people who are little for God’s sake are considered to be the least of people: Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones (Matthew 11:25). And He is speaking of the least because some people might say: ‘If I had done this to someone equal to myself, or to some of the great ones, I reckon that this would be done to Him.’ For that reason, the Lord says that not only what is done to great people, but also to imperfect people, is done to Him; for that reason, He says, To the least.

Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand. Here the condemnation of the wicked is related. Firstly, their condemnation is related; secondly, their excuse is related; and thirdly, the confounding of their excuse is related. Concerning the first point, He begins by relating the sentence, and secondly, He relates their punishment. He says, therefore: Depart from me, you cursed.

This sentence differs from the first, because He said in the first sentence: Come, ye blessed of my Father, etc.; here, however, He does not say: ‘You cursed of My Father,’ because our blessing is from God, but our cursing is from ourselves. (In Hebrews 6 and Deuteronomy 23, He turns a blessing into a curse.) Likewise, a difference is that above He said: Possess you the kingdom prepared for you, etc.; here, however, He says: Depart into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And what is the reason? Origen says that He did not make punishments for people, but instead He made people for something good; but they acquired death for themselves by their own hands: In that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your hands have made for you (Isaiah 31:7).

But someone might say: ‘Did not the Lord make something good for the devil?’ Note that the Lord speaks of preparation as it was shown from the beginning of the world. But the devil sinned from the beginning; hence, He did not prepare punishments for the angels, who, as to their nature, were created good, but for their sins.

I was hungry. Here nothing else is said but what is spoken in different ways to the good and to the wicked. For above, He explicitly said every single thing by itself, but here He joins many things together; hence, I was sick and in prison. And because He joins these two things together, it should be said that He proceeds in the manner of a good judge, who condemns unwillingly and rewards abundantly; hence, He lengthens the words of rewarding but shortens the words of condemnation.

Then they also shall answer him. And note that just as the good shortened their words about their good deeds, so the wicked shortened their words about their faults. Hence, they say: Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty, etc.? They say all these things together, by which it is to be understood that they do not willingly examine their consciences; this is opposed to what is written: Return, ye transgressors, to the heart (Isaiah 46:8). Hence, when they must return, they return to their hearts very briefly.

Then their confounding follows: Amen: I say to you, as long as you did it not, etc. Something similar is written: He that despiseth you despiseth me (Luke 10:16); He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of my eye (Zechariah 2:8).

And these shall go into everlasting punishment, etc. After relating the sentence, the effect is now related. And these shall go into everlasting punishment. Above, He had said that they shall go into eternal fire, because one might uphold that the fire would be eternal, but nevertheless, one would not be tormented eternally; for that reason, He says, Into everlasting punishment. But the just, into life everlasting. This is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent (John 17:3). Now, that there will be eternal punishment is stated in Daniel 12:2: Many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake: some unto life everlasting, and others unto reproach, to see it always. He was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:9–10); Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched (Isaiah 66:24).

What is the cause of this eternal punishment? Some people, such as Origen, held that there was no eternal punishment. Hence, they assert that every punishment has an end. Therefore, he says that what is said here is said as an exaggeration. But Augustine argues: “If this is so, then what is said, namely, that the just will go into eternal life, might similarly be said to be an exaggeration. But this is said in regard to length of time, as even Origen admits. And this is detestable, that in the same Scripture there should be such diversity.” But that this cannot be is evident from the following: it is evident that justice requires that an equal punishment correspond to the guilt. With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matthew 7:2).

But how will eternal punishment have such long duration after death? Gregory answers, saying that God is the judge of the will; hence, he who does not restrain his will from sin until death, sinned in his eternity; thus it is fitting that God punish in His eternity. Augustine speaks thus: ‘We see that a punishment should be equal, and such is also in human justice; because if someone sins against the society of a city, a judge does not intend to inflict death, except to separate him perpetually from the society of the city. But he who sins against God intends to exclude himself from the society of the heavenly court.’ According to Hilary, punishment is due to guilt, but guilt is not effaced except through charity.

Therefore, as long as a person does not have charity, it is just that he always be in eternal punishment. Therefore, from the fact that he did not have charity in this life, it is necessary that he always remain in eternal punishment.

Likewise, it is objected that the Saints will pray, and they will be heard. Therefore, etc. Gregory says that while they are wayfarers, the Saints are heard for them, but not afterwards.

Moreover, it is objected: ‘God does not delight in punishment; how, therefore, will He afflict without end?’ It should be said that even if He does not delight in it, nevertheless, He does this to conserve His justice.