vision of God, would there be for them, if they stood all together in a barren plain, like sheep in a penfold ? Are we not justified in believing that there are splendid and spacious mansions in Heaven constructed of incorruptible materials ?
Nay, more, a learned expositor of Holy Scripture considers it probable that by the wondrous skill and wisdom of the great Creator, these fair palaces and dwellings are of varied form and size, some being lower, others higher, some more richly adorned than others. Towering above all, and surpassing all in grandeur and magnificence, the palace of the great King Jesus Christ stands pre-eminent; and next in splendour and dignity ranks the abode of our Sovereign Lady, the Queen of Heaven. Then come the twelve palaces of the twelve apostles, which are so rich and beautiful that Heaven itself marvels at their magnificence. Besides these are mansions and dwellings innumerable which render the heavenly Jerusalem indescribably imposing and attractive. These splendid abodes were created when Heaven itself was made, and destined to be the dwellings of the redeemed.
The Church teaches us, in the office for martyrs, that each one of the elect will have his own place in the kingdom of Heaven. Dabo sanctis meis locum nominatum in regno Patris mei, dicit Dominus. (In 2 noct. Antiph. I. de Com. pi. Martj.) " I will give to My Saints an appointed place in the kingdom of My Father." And the Royal Psalmist says:
