Apostleship of Prayer - Saints
January 28 - Thomas Aquinas
Thomas was born in 1225 into a knightly family who lived at Rocca Secca near Aquino. From five to fourteen he was educated by the Benedictines at Monte Cassino. In 1239 he was sent to Naples to complete his education. It was here that he met his first Dominican. He, then, planned to join that Order, much to the dismay of his family. His brother captured him and he was imprisoned at home. Nevertheless he joined the Order in 1244. He finished his studies with Albert the Great in Cologne. Albert made the remark about Thomas: that though Thomas was called a dumb ox "his lowing would be heard all round the world". Afterwards he spent the rest of his life in Paris, where he held two professorships, and in Italy where he assisted in the development off the Dominican Schools. He had an intense power of concentration and possess the extraordinary ability to be able to dictated to four secretaaries at the same time. His deep contemplative prayer was often ecstatic.
His greatest contribution to the Catholic Church was in his writings. In his defence of the faith he used the same thought of Aristotle that his enemies used. He longed to reveal that there was no dichotomy between good faith and good reason. Thus he set out to demonstrate the inherent harmony and continuity of faith with natural knowledge. One of his real insights was to see that Aristolic philosphy had to be combined with Platonist philosphy. Thomas was a man of the Gospel. He always longed to come closer to the Jesus of the Gospel. His last and greatest work, the Summa Theologica, was never completed. He had an ecstatic vision on Demcember 6, 1273; after which he stopped writing as he said, "I cannot go on...all that I have written seems to me like so much straw.
Thomas had grown quite corpulent in his middle age. It has been recorded that a part of the table at which he dined had to be cut away so that he could come closer to the meal. He was a modest man, unassuming and all his life he lived a deep life of prayer. He served God by his use of the gifts with which he had been bless. Besides writing much erudite theology and philosphy, he also composed simplle commentaries of the everyday prayers of the everyday person.
He died in 1274, from a stroke. He was canonised in 1323 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1567.
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