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St. Thomas Aquinas
Angelic Teacher of Truth
Just as it was said to
the Egyptians of old in time of famine, ‘Go to Joseph,” so that they
should receive a supply of grain from him to nourish their bodies, so we
now say to all such as are desirous of the truth: ‘Go to Thomas, and ask
him to give from his ample store the food of substantial doctrine
wherewith to nourish your souls unto eternal life.’
~Pope Pius X
St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers to teach the
truths of the Catholic faith at a time when many priests and even some
bishops were insufficiently educated to preach. Study was the special
means Dominic adopted for his friars to prepare them for preaching and to
help them achieve their own sanctification through the discipline
required, but especially through the food for contemplation provided by
sacred study.
St. Thomas Aquinas was a true son of St. Dominic. His
study and teaching has been a priceless gift to the Church. Thomas, the
offspring of Italian nobility, was born in the family castle of Rocca
Secca north of Naples in about 1225. While a student at the University of
Naples, Thomas met the friars and received the habit. Thomas’ family,
preferring him to have the powerful position of abbot of the Benedictine
Abbey of Monte Cassino rather than the life of a begging friar in a humble
new Order, kidnapped and imprisoned him until he would change his mind.
Thomas’ brothers even sought to destroy his vocation by sending a woman to
seduce him, but the young man drove her from his cell with a flaming
torch, then knelt and prayed for deliverance from all temptations against
chastity. In answer to his prayer, God sent angels to minister to Thomas
and to gird him with a cincture of perpetual chastity.
After a year’s imprisonment, Thomas escaped with the help
of his sisters and returned to the Dominicans. Following a period of
formation and study at Cologne and Paris under the tutelage of St. Albert
the Great, Thomas began his life’s work of teaching and writing. He taught
at universities and Dominican houses in Paris, Rome and Naples. His
written works include commentaries on the Sacred Scriptures and the works
of Aristotle, the Summa Against the Gentiles (an apologetic work
aimed at the Moslems), and his best known work, the Summa Theologica
(a work giving the theological foundation of the truths of the Catholic
Faith).
A gentle, humble man, St. Thomas had a deep devotion to
the cross of Christ. He said that he had learned more from the crucifix
than from any book. He began all his works in prayer at the foot of the
cross. His love for Christ in the Eucharist is apparent in the hymns and
prayers he composed for the liturgy for the Feast of Corpus Christi. The
best known of these hymns include: O Salutaris Hostia, Tantum Ergo
Sacramentum, and Panis Angelicus.
In his brief life — he was only about fifty when he died —
St. Thomas left a treasury of wisdom and learning for the Church, for
which she has honored him with the title “Angelic Doctor.” Both the
Council of Trent and the Second Vatican Council relied on and
explicitly mentioned his works, especially the Summa Theologica.
Today, we Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia study the works
of St. Thomas Aquinas during formation and beyond. More important than
studying his great works, we look to him as our brother, model, and guide
in living Dominican life. His love of the Eucharist inspires us as we pray
his words, “O Sacred Banquet in which Christ is received . . .” before the
Divine Office three times each day. We seek to imitate his devotion to
study and, as he said, “to contemplate so that we may give to others the
fruits of our contemplation.”
Grant, O Queen of Heaven,
that I may entertain ever in my heart both fear and love of thy most
Sweet Son, and may be grateful for His great benefits granted to me not
because of my merits, but through His kindness and mercy.
- St. Thomas Aquinas
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