Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as "the Angelic Doctor"! Read what Pope Benedict XVI has written about this my favorite theologian: "My venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II recalled that 'the Church is justified in consistently proposing St. Thomas as a master of thought and a model of the right way to do theology' (Fides et Ratio 43). He is called the Angelic Doctor because of his virtues, the sublimity of his thought, and the purity of his life. St. Thomas also showed that a natural harmony exists between Christian faith and reason. Thus, he created a new synthesis that formed the culture for centuries to come. His literary production has something of the miraculous about it. He commented on Sacred Scripture, because the professor of theology was above all an interpreter of Scripture. Thomas also had an exquisitely Eucharistic soul. The most beautiful hymns the Church sings to celebrate the mystery of the real presence of the Lord's body and blood in the Eucharist are attributed to his faith and theological wisdom. Thomas also dedicated himself to preaching to the people, and the people came willingly to hear him. I would say that it is truly a great grace when theologians are able to speak to the faithful with simplicity and fervor. At the center of his teaching he places the new law, which is the Holy Spirit. With a profoundly evangelical gaze, he insists on the fact that the law of Christ is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to all who believe. The depth of St. Thomas Aquinas's thought - let us never forget it - flowed from his living faith and fervent piety, which he expressed in inspired prayers, such as this one: 'Grant me, O Lord, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct that pleases you, faithful perseverance to wait for you, and the hope that finally embraces you.'" (Great Christian Thinkers, pp. 285-292).
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!
Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as "the Angelic Doctor"! Read what Pope Benedict XVI has written about this my favorite theologian: "My venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II recalled that 'the Church is justified in consistently proposing St. Thomas as a master of thought and a model of the right way to do theology' (Fides et Ratio 43). He is called the Angelic Doctor because of his virtues, the sublimity of his thought, and the purity of his life. St. Thomas also showed that a natural harmony exists between Christian faith and reason. Thus, he created a new synthesis that formed the culture for centuries to come. His literary production has something of the miraculous about it. He commented on Sacred Scripture, because the professor of theology was above all an interpreter of Scripture. Thomas also had an exquisitely Eucharistic soul. The most beautiful hymns the Church sings to celebrate the mystery of the real presence of the Lord's body and blood in the Eucharist are attributed to his faith and theological wisdom. Thomas also dedicated himself to preaching to the people, and the people came willingly to hear him. I would say that it is truly a great grace when theologians are able to speak to the faithful with simplicity and fervor. At the center of his teaching he places the new law, which is the Holy Spirit. With a profoundly evangelical gaze, he insists on the fact that the law of Christ is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to all who believe. The depth of St. Thomas Aquinas's thought - let us never forget it - flowed from his living faith and fervent piety, which he expressed in inspired prayers, such as this one: 'Grant me, O Lord, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct that pleases you, faithful perseverance to wait for you, and the hope that finally embraces you.'" (Great Christian Thinkers, pp. 285-292).
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!
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