Word to the Wise
Thursday, January 28, 2021 - Thursday in the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 10:19-25 and Mark 4:21-25]Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. [Hebrews]
JANUARY 28 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, O.P.
Not long before he died, St. Thomas Aquinas is said to have received a vision from the chapel crucifix in Naples of Jesus who said, "You have written well of me. Thomas! What would you have?" Thomas is said to have replied, "Nothing except you, Lord." Like St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas stands like a giant in the theological tradition of the Latin/Western Catholic church. His story is simple enough in outline. He was born to a minor noble family in 1221. He defied his family (who had other plans for him) and joined the brand-new (at that time) Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) whom he had met as a college student in Naples. His intellectual abilities were quickly noticed by another great Dominican scholar, St. Albert the Great, who mentored him and fostered his academic career. He taught mostly in two places: Paris and at the papal court in Italy. His boldest innovation was to introduce the philosophical wisdom of Aristotle as a way of framing Catholic theological thought. While on his way to attend a church council, he suffered a fall and died at a Benedictine Monastery in 1274.
His theological and scriptural works continue to influence the teaching of the church. The Summa Theologiae, which remained unfinished at his death, is a foundational source for all Catholic theologians, but it is one of many works he produced. Yet, in the end, he considered it as "straw" compared with what he had experienced in his relationship to God toward the end of his life. A very accessible and readable paraphrase of the Summa Theologiae, entitled MY WAY OF LIFE, first published in 1952 is still in print for those who want to share in his wisdom. A line from the Summa Theologiae, continues to inspire me, "The new law of Christ is nothing other than the Holy Spirit working in our hearts through faith in Christ." [I-II, Q. 106 a. 1].
The Letter to the Hebrews this morning (different in Dominican celebrations) speaks to the life of Thomas Aquinas. He held unwaveringly to his confession of faith and can inspire us to do the same. AMEN
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