Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

We celebrate today, in the traditional Latin calendar, the great Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, who stands as one of the greatest theologians the Church has ever seen.  This intellectual giant was born in the Kingdom of Naples at the start of the thirteenth century. Aquinas was born into a wealthy and powerful family.  His parents ensured that he was educated and were delighted to discover his talent.  However, more than any worldly prestige, St. Thomas wanted to love and serve the Lord, and so he sought to join the Dominicans.  This greatly disturbed his family and his two brothers captured Aquinas as he was journeying to the Dominicans.  They then detained him at their home for nearly two years.  They even sought to corrupt his soul with impurity, but Aquinas persevered throughout it all and was assured in a vision to be granted perpetual virginity. From this point forward, St. Thomas Aquinas was allowed to freely join the Dominicans and live out his vows with zeal.  His intelligence was apparent and he was blessed with many positions of teaching for the next several decades.  During these years, Aquinas wrote many books and essays, the most famous of which is the Summa Theologiae.

St. Thomas Aquinas was not only brilliant, but he was truly wise, never short changing his time in prayer but developing a profound love and devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament.  Near the end of his life, St. Thomas experienced a vision where God Himself said, “Thou hast written well of me, Thomas; what reward wilt thou have?”  This offering is reminiscent of when God offered King Solomon whatever he wanted, to which the king wisely asked for wisdom (1 Kings 3:1-15).  However, King Solomon’s wisdom was not enough to secure his holiness, but instead he fell to much sin which led to the division of the kingdom (1 Kings 11).  Aquinas, already wise, asked for something even better, even more pure.  To the offer to have anything Aquinas lovingly replied to the Lord saying, “None other than Thyself, Lord”.  How beautiful a response!  How perfect a prayer! Let us then learn from this remarkable saint and Doctor of the Church.  Let us hold fast to the truth which guards us against the wiles of the Enemy and against the errors of Russia which Our Lady of Fatima warned us about.  Let us forget about our own selfish concerns but instead pray above all simply to be with the Lord.  He is the beginning and the end.  The One from whom we come and the One for who we are made.  Let us thus pray the Rosary and take refuge as St. Thomas Aquinas did in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. “Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.” – St. Thomas Aquinas

(source: Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima)

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