CONSECRATED TO THE TRUTH


SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, DOCTOR

Wis 7:7-10,15-16; Ps 119:9-14; Mk 23:8-12

Wisdom is Knowledge of Jesus Christ

We celebrate the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas as Dominicans, though the universal Church celebrates it as a memorial. Saint Thomas Aquinas is considered a unique person in the Order of Preachers and the whole Church because of his intellectual output. We consider him the founder of the intellectual tradition of the Order, for in him, we find the wonderful blend of human intelligence and the Christian faith. Thus, the Church holds him as a model for all Christian scholars. The first reading from Wisdom presents the ability that comes from the blend of human intelligence and the gift of faith as a gift from God. We call it wisdom, for it is a spiritual gift that enables us to know the value of every creature and order them to their ends. “May God grant me to speak as he would wish and express thoughts worthy of his gifts, since he himself is the guide of Wisdom, since he directs the sages. We are indeed in his hand, we ourselves and our words, with all our understanding, too, and technical knowledge.” The passage expresses that God guides all knowledge, the expressions of knowledge, and applications.

Since knowledge of creatures and the technicalities of things would lead ultimately to doom if they do not lead to faith in God the creator, we must never seek for such knowledge for its own sake. So, we must always pray for Wisdom to help us coordinate the knowledge of creatures to attain the spiritual understanding of their creator, God himself. The prayer of Solomon fits the mouth of Saint Thomas Aquinas: “I prayed, and understanding was given to me; I entreated, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me. I esteemed her more than sceptres and thrones; compared with her, I held riches as nothing.” It is a general knowledge in the Order of Preachers that Thomas gained more in prayer than in his studies. It is even better to say that both activities, which are usually separated in us who are still striving for perfection, are united in his life. He sought the Person of the Eternal Truth in prayers and studies. He prays when he studies and studies or contemplates the truth when he prays. What we say of our Blessed Father Dominic also applies well to him. He is either talking to God in prayer or talking about God to people. Truth was his life, which kept him from sin and preserved his innocence. “I love her more than health or beauty, preferred her to the light, since her radiance never sleeps.” These words of the scripture apply well to our dear Saint Thomas Aquinas.

It follows from the foregoing that the more we put ourselves in the presence of Jesus Christ, the more we are kept from sin and darkness. As the Psalm re-echoes the truth: “How shall the young remain sinless? By obeying your word. I have sought you with all my heart; let me not stray from your commands.” Our saint was known for his childlike innocence and humility of heart. Though he was born in 1225, to a noble family in southern Italy, and educated by the Benedictines, he abandoned a vocation to the Benedictine Order and a possible exalted rank he would have attained therein. He chose to become a Dominican instead, a new Order then, the future of which was uncertain. He scandalised his family with this disreputable plan that they kidnapped him and imprisoned him for a year. They let him be when they could not shake his resolve to follow the Truth. His simple but unshakable love for the Truth enabled him to penetrate every science and order it to God. With his simple sense that Truth cannot contradict truth, he adapted Aristotle’s work to Christian philosophy and theology. He never considered himself exceptional because he was always motivated by the simple desire to know the Truth and use it to enlighten others. So, his greatness truly lies in his service to others, as stated by our Lord in the Gospel. “The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” He died in 1274 at the age of 49. We pray for the grace to consecrate our lives to the service of truth as he did.

Let us pray: O God, who made Saint Thomas Aquinas outstanding in his zeal for holiness and his study of sacred doctrine, grant us, we pray, that we may understand what he taught and imitate what he accomplished. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. 

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