 |
|
|
|
 |
The Great Catholic Educator St. Thomas Aquinas
Before Thomas Aquinas was even born, a holy hermit told his mother he was to be more learned and holy than any other person of his time. As a young boy, he was devoted to prayer and meditation, and his intellectual gifts were quickly recognized. When he was about 11 years old, he was sent to the University of Naples, and approximately five years later, he became a Dominican friar.
Thomas' parents were Italian nobility and were not enthusiastic about Thomas' choice of vocation. They had his brothers capture him while he was en route to Rome and they held him prisoner for two years, all the while trying to destroy his vocation and his virtue. After one particularly heinous attempt, Thomas begged God to give him integrity of mind and body, and he was miraculously given the girdle and grace of purity for the rest of his life. This gift almost certainly was essential to the remarkable clarity of his intellect.
After he regained his freedom, Thomas received the best education that was available at a time in human history that arguably represents the best the world has ever offered to scholars and philosophers. His greatest works arise from his total focus on knowing and understanding God, and revealing as clearly as possible the Truth of God to others. He showed that faith and reason are not in conflict, but exist in harmony.
The Summa Theologica, which immortalized Thomas, uses philosophical principles presented in scientific form to systematically explain Christian theology. It was his last work and was left unfinished. Thomas stopped writing after he experienced an unusually long vision on Dec. 6, 1273. When he was urged to finish his Summa, he said he could no longer write, because the secrets he had been shown during his vision made all he had written "seem as straw." He died three months later.
Thomas composed more than 60 works. His powers of synthesis were truly extraordinary. He was able to sift through all that he read, distill the truth, and summarize his conclusions simply, clearly, and briefly. His writing is of such genius that it transcends style and art in the beauty of its truth. His works are as relevant today as they were to the 13th century.
Thomas was canonized in 1323 and declared a Doctor of the Universal Church in 1567. In 1877, Leo XIII declared Thomas Aquinas' philosophical system the official Catholic philosophy, and Thomas, himself, "the prince and master of all scholastic doctors." He named Thomas Aquinas patron of all Catholic universities, colleges and schools throughout the world. We celebrate his feast day on Jan. 28.
Please note a change in the CCD calendar. We will not have class on Wednesday, January 26. Fr. Dave and the Formation Committee have scheduled a meeting for that night with the teachers.
|
|
|
