3562. 'And he felt him' means complete perception. This is clear from the meaning of 'feeling' as inmost and complete perception, dealt with above in 3528, 3559, here complete perception because the perception of all things comes from inmost perception. That is, people who possess inmost perception possess a perception of everything that is below, for the things that are below are nothing else than derivatives and combinations of what is above. Indeed everything inmost exists in all the things below it that are its own, for unless that which is lower is the product of the things that are interior, or what amounts to the same, of those that are above it, as an effect is the product of its efficient cause, it does not come into existence at all. From this it is evident why the end in view determines a person's happiness or unhappiness in the next life, for the end is the inmost aspect of every cause, so much so that if the end does not exist within the cause, indeed if it is not its all, no cause exists at all. The end is in a similar way the inmost aspect of every effect, for an effect springs from such a cause. This being so, whatever exists with a person owes its very being (esse) to the end which he has in view. In the next life therefore a person's state is determined by the essential nature of whatever end he has in view, see 1317, 1568, 1571, 1645, 1909, 3425. From this it may be seen that, since it means inmost perception, 'feeling' consequently means complete perception.

3528. 'Perhaps my father will feel me' means an inmost degree of perception. This is clear from the meaning of 'feeling' and so perceiving with the senses as the inmost and the all of perception, and from the meaning of 'father' as good, in this case Divine Good, since the Lord is the subject. The reason why 'feeling' means the inmost and the all of perception is that all sensory awareness is related to the sense of touch, and it has its origin in and arises from the power of perception. For sensory awareness is nothing else than the external aspect of the power of perception, and the power of perception is nothing else than the internal aspect of sensory awareness. What perception or the power of perception is, see 104, 371, 495, 503, 521, 536, 1383-1398, 1616, 1919, 2145, 2171, 2831. What is more, all sensory awareness and all power of perception, seemingly so various, are related to one single general and universal sense, namely that of touch. The variants of this - which is what taste, smell, hearing, and sight are - being forms of external sensory awareness are nothing else than different kinds of touch which owe their existence to internal sensory awareness, which is the power of perception. These matters could be corroborated by much experience, but this will be done in the Lord's Divine mercy in its own proper place. From this it is evident that 'feeling' in the internal sense is the inmost and the all of perception. Furthermore all power of perception, which is the internal aspect of sensory awareness, arises out of good, but not out of truth except from good by way of truth. For the Lord's Divine life flows into good and by way of that good into truth, and in this way gives rise to perception. From this it may be seen what 'supposing my father feels me' means, namely the inmost and the all of perception coming from good, and so from the Lord's Divine Good.