believe in Christ until He was ascended
to the Father. Or Jesus would have men to believe in Him, i.e. to
touch Him spiritually, as being Himself one with the Father. For to
that man's innermost perceptions He is, in some sort, ascended unto
the Father, who has become so far proficient in Him, as to recognize
in Him the equal with the Father . . . whereas she as yet believed in
Him but carnally, since she wept for Him as for a man." But when one
reads elsewhere of Mary having touched Him, when with the other
women, she "'came up and took hold of His feet,' that matters
little," as Severianus says [*Chrysologus, Serm. lxxvi], "for, the
first act relates to figure, the other to sex; the former is of
Divine grace, the latter of human nature." Or as Chrysostom says
(Hom. lxxxvi in Joan.): "This woman wanted to converse with Christ
just as before the Passion, and out of joy was thinking of nothing
great, although Christ's flesh had become much nobler by rising
again." And therefore He said: "I have not yet ascended to My
Father"; as if to say: "Do not suppose I am leading an earthly life;
for if you see Me upon earth, it is because I have not yet ascended
to My Father, but I am going to ascend shortly." Hence He goes on to
say: "I ascend to My Father, and to your Father."

Reply Obj. 4: As Augustine says _ad Orosium_ (Dial. lxv, Qq.): "Our
Lord rose in clarified flesh; yet He did not wish to appear before
the disciples in that condition of clarity, because their eyes could
not gaze upon that brilliancy. For if before He died for us and rose
again the disciples could not look upon Him when He was transfigured
upon the mountain, how much less were they able to gaze upon Him when
our Lord's flesh was glorified." It must also be borne in mind that
after His Resurrection our Lord wished especially to show that He was
the same as had died; which the manifestation of His brightness would
have hindered considerably: because change of features shows more
than anything else the difference in the person seen: and this is
because sight specially judges of the common sensibles, among which
is one and many, or the same and different. But before the Passion,
lest His disciples might despise its weakness, Christ meant to show
them the glory of His majesty; and this the brightness of the body
specially indicates. Consequently, before the Passion He showed the
disciples His glory by brightness, but after the Resurrection by
other tokens.