Word to the Wise
Friday, November 15, 2019 - Friday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Wis 13:1-9 and Luke 17:26-37]All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan.......For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its Lord? [Wisdom]
NOVEMBER 15 ST. ALBERT THE GREAT, O.P. Dominican scholar, bishop and doctor of the church
Although the Roman calendar makes the feast of St. Albert the Great an "optional memorial," it is not optional for us Dominicans! He is one of our greatest scholars, and, in his own time, was considered "great" by more than just his Dominican brothers and sisters. The passage from the Book of Wisdom today is tailor-made for describing his life. He was one of the great natural scientists of all time. He clearly discerned the artisan from what was made!
Albert was not only a great scientist, he was also known through his most famous pupil - Thomas Aquinas. Although Aquinas has taken center stage in Catholic theology, Albert is not standing in the shadows.
The culture-war arguments about materialism, creationism, intelligent-design and evolution, etc. are no match for the creator of all things who can be discerned in creation's beauty. Is the very ability to see something as "beautiful" simply a matter of brain chemistry? Albert knew the importance of empirical study but he also saw the work of God in nature. He remains an inspiration to all of us Dominicans who are vowed to a life of study and a model for all scientists who are open to discerning the artisan in what is made! AMEN