St. Thomas Aquinas
1. It is generally recognised that St. Thomas Aquinas was a great
philosopher and theologian. The Cartesian philosopher, Jourdain, said of
him that no other man had come so near to being infallible. The
eclectic philosopher, Cousin, referred to the Summa Theologica as one of
the greatest masterpieces of human genius. Dante celebrated in immortal
verse this wonderful synthesis of thought. When he canonised St. Thomas, John XXII declared that "every article he wrote was a miracle."
One might say that St. Thomas was raised up by God, for he gathered
together the whole of human knowledge up to his own time and interpreted
it in the new light of Christianity. He ordered it into a complete,
compact body of philosophical and theological doctrine to serve as an
impregnable defence against the errors of his own and later times. In
spite of his greatness, however, Thomas of Aquin was a very humble man.
There is a good deal of truth in Pascal's remark that little knowledge
makes the mind proud, but real wisdom makes it humble. We cannot all
imitate the knowledge of St. Thomas, but we should imitate his humility.
2. Thomas of Aquin was a wealthy nobleman of great intelligence. A
brilliant future seemed to lie before him. But he answered the
inspiration which called him to a life of Christian perfection in the
Order of St. Dominic. This divine vocation encountered serious
obstacles. His mother and brothers opposed it. The latter went as far as
capturing him and imprisoning him in a castle, where they put him
beside a woman who tempted him to sin against holy purity. But it was
all useless. He chased away the temptress with a blazing torch. Then he
knelt before a cross outlined upon the wall and as he was praying
fervently he experienced such wonderful peace that it seemed like a
foretaste of Heaven. From that day he was never again tried by
temptations of the flesh. He was like an angel in human form.
Do we wish to share even a little in these rewards? Let us listen to the
good inspirations which God gives us. Like St. Thomas, let us be ready
to make any sacrifice rather than offend God. Let us be prepared to work
earnestly to acquire the virtues proper to our state in life.
3. St. Thomas was not only a tireless student, but a man of unceasing
prayer. He was accustomed to say that anything he ever learned was the
result of prayer rather than study. In any case, as far as he was
concerned, study and any other activity was a prayer. No matter what he
was doing, his mind was absorbed with God. He died when he was about
fifty years of age, but he was able to leave behind a masterpiece of
human and divine wisdom which has probably never been surpassed.
Everything which is good and beautiful comes from God. Even though our
stature is far less than that of St. Thomas, we must constantly nourish
our desires and intentions with prayer and focus them on good objects.
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