RBWords

     Today, we Dominicans around the world celebrate the feast of our brother, Thomas Aquinas, O.P..  It would be difficult to over-estimate his influence on Catholic faith, especially in the Western part of the Catholic Church.  This influence extends not just to the theological expression of our faith, but also to our liturgical life.  (Thomas Aquinas wrote the familiar hymns we sing at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament - O Salutaris Hostia and Pange Lingua.)  It is, however, in the realms of philosophy and theology that he is best known.  He lived entirely in the 13th century (1221-1274), yet his insights continue to shape the way our church expresses its faith.  He is best known for his SUMMA THEOLOGIAE and SUMMA CONTRA GENTILES, but he also wrote commentaries on the works of Aristotle (which got him in trouble with certain church officials) and on scripture (especially his commentary on the Gospel According to John).  The part of his Summa Theologica that I like the most is the part on Law, culminating in his statement that the "new law of Christ" is "nothing other than the Holy Spirit working in our hearts through faith in Christ." (I-!! Q. 106).  

     For those who would like to access his Summa Theologiae in a very readable way, I recommend the little book, still in print since 1952, MY WAY OF LIFE by Fr. Walter Farrell, OP.    Anyone who reads this will find the Catholic voice echoing in their minds and hearts.  

     For the moment, he remains to us Dominicans and many others, an example of a scholar who was teacher, mystic and man of deep prayer, and an inspiration to know our faith in its greatest depths because the Spirit of Wisdom truly spoke through him  AMEN