1. And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered to him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
2. And he taught them many things by parables, and said to them in his doctrine,
3. Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4. And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth.
6. But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9. And he said to them, He that has ears to hear, let him hear.
10. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11. And he said to them, to you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should he converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13. And he said to them, Know you not this parable? and how then will you know an parables?
14. The sower sows the word.
15. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
18. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

THEOPHYL. Although the Lord appears in the transactions mentioned above to neglect His mother, nevertheless He honors her; since on her account He goes forth about the borders of the sea: wherefore it is said, And Jesus began to teach again by the sea-side, &c.

BEDE; For if we look into the Gospel of Matthew, it appears that this same teaching of the Lord at the sea, was delivered on the same day as the former. For after the conclusion of the first sermon, Matthew immediately subjoins, saying, The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea-side.

PSEUDO-JEROME; But He began to teach at the sea, that the place of His teaching might point out the bitter feelings and instability of His hearers.

BEDE; After leaving the house also, He began to teach at the sea, because, quitting the synagogue, He came to gather together the multitude of the Gentile people by the Apostles. Wherefore it continues: And there was gathered to him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea.

CHRYS. Which we must understand was not done without a purpose, but that He might not leave anyone behind Him, but have all His hearers before His face.

BEDE; Now this ship showed in a figure the Church, to be built in the midst of the nations, in which the Lord consecrates fir Himself a beloved dwelling-place. It goes on: And he taught them many things by parables.

PSEUDO-JEROME; A parable is a comparison made between things discordant by nature, under some similitude. For parable is the Greek for a similitude, when we point out by some comparisons what we would have understood. In this way we say an iron man, when we desire that he should be understood to be hardy and strong; when to be swift, we compare him to winds and birds. But He speaks to the multitudes in parables, with His usual providence, that those who could not take in heavenly things, might conceive what they heard by an earthly similitude.

CHRYS. For He rouses the minds of His hearers by a parable, pointing out objects to the sight, to make His discourse more manifest.

THEOPHYL. And in order to rouse the attention of those who heard, the first parable that He proposes is concerning the seed, which is the word of God. Wherefore it goes on, And he said to them in his doctrine. Not in that of Moses, nor of the Prophets, because He preaches His own Gospel. Hearken: behold, there went out a sower to sow. Now the Sower is Christ.

CHRYS. Not that He went out in space, Who is present in all space, and fills all, but in the form and economy by which He is made more near to us through the clothing of flesh. For since we were not able to go to Him, because sins impeded our path, He went out to us. But He went out, preaching in order to sow the worth of piety, which He spoke abundantly. Now He does not needlessly repeat the same word, when He says, A sower went out to sow, for sometimes a sower goes out that he may break up land for tillage, or to pull up weeds, or for some other work. But this one went out to sow.

BEDE; Or else, He went out to sow, when after calling to His faith the elect portion of the synagogue, He poured out the gifts of His grace in order to call the Gentiles also.

CHRYS. Further, as a sower does not make a distinction in the ground which is beneath him, but simply and without distinction puts in the seed, so also He Himself addresses all. And to signify this, The says, And as he sowed, come fell by the way-side.

THEOPHYL. Take notice, that He says not that He threw it in the way, but that it fell, for a sower, as far as he can, throws it into good ground, but if the ground be bad, it corrupts the seed. Now the way is Christ; but infidels are by the way-side, that is, out of Christ.

BEDE; Or else, the way is a mind which is a path for bad thoughts, preventing the seed of the word from growing in it. And therefore whatever good seed comes in contact with such a way, perishes, and is carried off by devils. Wherefore there follows, And the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And well are the devils called fowls of the air, either because they are of a heavenly and spiritual origin, or because they dwell in the air. Or else, those who are about the way are negligent and slothful men. It goes on: And some fell on stony ground. He calls stone, the hardness of a wanton mind; He calls ground, the inconstancy of a soul in its obedience; and sun, the heat of a raging persecution.

Therefore the depth of earth, which ought to have received the seed of God, is the honesty of a mind trained in heavenly discipline, and regularly brought up in obedience to the Divine words. But the stony places, which have no strength for fixing the root firmly, are those breasts which are delighted only with the sweetness of the word which they hear, and for a time with the heavenly promises, but in a season of temptation fall away, for there is too little of healthful desire in them to conceive the seed of life.

THEOPHYL. Or, the stony persons are those who adhering a little to the rock, that is, to Christ, up to a short time, receive the word, and afterwards, falling back, cast it away. It goes on: And some fell among thorns; by which are marked souls which care for many things. For thorns are cares.

CHRYS. But further He mentions good ground, saying, And other fell on good ground. For the difference of the fruits follows the quality of the ground. But great is the love of the Sower for men, for the first He commends, and rejects not the second, and gives a place to the third.

THEOPHYL. Sec also how the bad are the greatest number, and the few are those who are saved, for the fourth part of the ground is found to be saved.

CHRYS. This, however, the greater portion of the seed is not lost through the fault of the owner, but of the earth, which received it, that is, of the soul, which hears. And indeed the real husbandman, if he sowed in this way, would be rightly blamed; for he is not ignorant that rock, or the road, or thorny ground, cannot become fertile. But in spiritual things it is not so; for there it is possible that stony ground may become fertile; and that the road should not be trodden down, and that the thorns may be destroyed, for if this could not take place, he would not have sown there. By this therefore He gives to us hope of repentance. It goes on, And he said to them, He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

BEDE; As often as this is inserted in the Gospel or in the Apocalypse of John, that which is spoken is mystical, and is pointed out as healthful to be heard and learnt. For the ears by which they are heard belong to the heart, and the ears by which men obey and do what is commanded, are those of an interior sense. There follows, And when he was alone, the twelve that were with him asked of him the parable; and he said to them,

To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to them that are without all things are done in parables.

PSEUD-CHRYS. As if He said to them, You that are worthy to be taught all things which are fitted for teaching, shall learn the manifestation of parables; but I use parables with them who are unworthy to learn, because of their wickedness. For it was right that they who did not hold fast their obedience to that law which they had received, should not have any share in a new teaching, but should be estranged from both; for He showed by the obedience of His disciples, that, on the other hand, the others were become unworthy of mystical doctrine. But afterwards, by bringing in a voice from prophecy, He confounds their wickedness, as having been long before reproved; wherefore it goes on, that seeing they might see, and not perceive, &c. as if He said, that the prophecy might be fulfilled which foretells these things.

THEOPHYL. For it was God Who made them to see, that is, to understand what is good. But they themselves see not, of their own will making themselves not to see, lest they should be converted and correct themselves, as if they were displeased at their own salvation. It goes on, Lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins be forgiven them.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Thus, therefore, they see and they do not see, they hear and do not understand, for their seeing and hearing comes to them from God's grace, but their seeing and not understanding comes to them from their willingness to receive grace, and closing their eyes, and pretending that they could not see; neither do they acquiesce in what was said, and so are not changed as to their sins by hearing and seeing, but rather are made worse.

THEOPHYL. Or we may understand in a different way His speaking to the rest in parables, that seeing they might not perceive, and hearing, not understand. For God gives sight and understanding to men who seek for them, but the rest He blinds, lest it become a greater accusation against them, that though they understood, they did not choose to do what they ought. Wherefore it goes on, Lest at any time they should be, &c.

AUG. Or else they deserved this, their not understanding., and yet this in itself was done in mercy to them, that they might know their sins, and, being converted, merit pardon.

BEDE; To those then who are without, all things are done in parables, that is, both the actions and the words of the Savior because neither in those miracles which He was working, nor in those mysteries which He preached, were they able to acknowledge Him as God. Therefore they are not able to attain to the remission of their sins.

PSEUD-CHRYS. But His speaking to them only in parables, and yet not leaving off speaking to them entirely, shows that to those who are placed near to what is good, though they may have no good in themselves, still good is shown disguised. But when a man approaches it with reverence and a right heart, he wins for himself an abundant revelation of mysteries; when on the contrary his thoughts are not sound, he will he neither made worthy of those things which are easy to many men, nor even of hearing them. There follows, And he said to them, Know you not this parable, how then shall you know all parables?

PSEUSDO-JEROME; For it was necessary that they to whom h ho spoke in parables should ask for what they do not understand, and learn by the Apostle whom they despised, the mystery of the kingdom which they themselves had not.

GLOSS. And for this reason, the Lord in saying these things, shows that they ought to understand both this first, and all following miracles. Wherefore explaining it, He goes on, The sower sows the word.

CHRYS. And indeed the prophet has compared the teaching of the people to the planting of a vine; in this place however it is compared to sowing, to show that obedience is now shorter and more easy, and will sooner yield fruit.

BEDE; But in this exposition of the Lord there is embraced the whole range of those who might hear the words of truth, but are unable to attain to salvation. For there are some to whom no faith, no intellect, nay no opportunity of trying its usefulness, can give a perception of the word which they hear; of whom He says, And these are by the wayside. For unclean spirits take away at once the word committed to their hearts, as birds carry away the seed of the trodden way.

There are some who both experience its usefulness and feel a desire for it, but some of them the calamities of this world frighten, and others its prosperity allures, so that they do not attain to that which they approve.

Of the first of whom He says, And these are they who fell on stony ground; of the latter, And these are they which are sown among thorns. But riches are called thorns, because they tear the soul with the piercing of its own thoughts, and after bringing it to sin, they, as one may say, make it bleed by inflicting a wound.

Again He says, And the toil of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches; for the man who is deceived by an empty desire of riches must soon he afflicted by the toils of continual cares. He adds, And the lusts of other things; because, whoever despises the commandments of God, and wanders away lustfully seeking other things, is unable to attain to the joy of beatitude. And concupiscences of this sort choke the word, because they do not allow a good desire to enter into the heart, and, as it were, stifle the entrance of vital breath. There are, however, excepted from these different classes of men, the Gentiles who do not even have grace to hear the words of life.

THEOPHYL. Further, of those who receive the seed as they ought there are three degrees. Wherefore it goes on, And these are they who are sown on good ground. Those who bear fruit an hundred-fold are those who lead a perfect and an obedient life, as virgins and hermits. Those who bear fruit sixty-fold are those who are in the mean as continent persons and those who are living in convents. Those who bear thirty-fold are those who though weak indeed, bear fruit according to their own virtue, as laymen and married persons.

BEDE; Or he bears thirty-fold, who instills into the minds of the elect faith in the Holy Trinity; sixty-fold, who teaches the perfection of good works; a hundred-fold, who shows the rewards of the heavenly kingdom. For in counting a hundred, we pass on to the fight hand; therefore that number is fitly made to signify everlasting happiness. But the good ground is the conscience of the elect, which does the contrary to all the former three, which both receives with willingness the seed of the word committed to it, and keeps it when received up to the season of fruit.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Or else the fruits of the earth are contained in thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold, that is, in the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel.

Catena Aurea Mark 4

The Parable of the Sower

Attribution unknown

St Thomas Aquinas

1340-45
Tempera on wood
Collezione Vittorio Cini, Venice

Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest & Doctor of the Church

Saint Thomas Aquinas,
Priest & Doctor of the Church
Memorial
January 28th

Benozzo Gozzoli
Triumph of St Thomas Aquinas
1471 -- Tempera on panel
Musée du Louvre, Paris

Adoremus Hymnal

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was educated at the Abbey of Monte Cassino and at the University of Naples. In 1244 he joined the Dominican Order. Considered one of the greatest philosophers and theologians of all time, St. Thoms gained the title of "Angelic Doctor". He had an undisputed mastery of scholastic theology and a profound holiness oflife. Pope Leo XIII declared him Patron of Catholic Schools. His monumental work, the Summa Theologica, wasstill unfinished when he died.

Collect:
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,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: Wisdom 7:7-10,15-16
Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;
I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepters and thrones,
and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.
Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,
because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay before her.
I loved her more than health and beauty,
and I chose to have her rather than light,
because her radiance never ceases.

May God grant that I speak with judgment
and have thought worthy of what I have received,
for He is the guide even of wisdom and the corrector of the wise.
For both we and our words are in His hand,
as are all understanding and skill in crafts.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 23:8-12
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

SHORT PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Sweetest Jesus,
Body and Blood most Holy,
be the delight and pleasure of my soul,
my strength and salvation in all temptations,
my joy and peace in every trial,
my light and guide in every word and deed,
and my final protection in death. Amen

St. Thomas Aquinas
The Aquinas Prayer Book, Sophia Institute Press, ©2000.

Prayer of Saint Thomas Aquinas:
"Ad Sacrosanctum Sacramentum"

O sacred banquet at which
Christ is consumed,
The memory of His Passion recalled,
our soul filled with grace,
and our pledge of future glory received:

How delightful, Lord, is Your spirit,
which shows Your sweetness to men,
offers the precious bread of heaven,
fills the hungry with good things,
and sends away empty the scornful rich.

V. You have given them bread from heaven.
R. A bread having all sweetness within it.

Let us pray:

God, Who left for us a memorial of Your Passion in this miraculous sacrament, Grant we implore You, that we may venerate the holy mystery of Your Body and Blood, so that we may ever experience in ourselves the fruitfulness of Your redemption.
You who life and reign, world without end. Amen.

(Translation from The Aquinas Prayer Book, Sophia Institute Press)

Whether Christ Changed the Role of Woman by Elizabeth Ruth Cheffers --The assignment required following the format of the great 13th century Dominican scholastic theologian, Saint Thomas Aquinas. In his Summa theologica, this form included the question (Utrum... - whether...), the objections, the body of the argument (Sed contra - on the contrary), answering the objections (Respondeo dicendum), and conclusion - the form followed in this essay. Pentecost 2002, winning young writer's essay.

Link to The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas - http://www.newadvent.org/summa/

Related Links of the Vatican Website: 1) Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, Saint Peter's Square, Wednesday, June 2, 2010 on Saint Thomas Aquinas http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100602_en.html

2) Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, Saint Peter's Square, Wednesday, June 16, 2010 on Saint Thomas Aquinas http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100616_en.html

3) Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, Saint Peter's Square, Wednesday, June 23, 2010 on Saint Thomas Aquinas http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100623_en.html

Information: St. Thomas Aquinas

Feast Day: January 28

Born: 1225, Roccasecca, in Lazio, Italy

Died: 7 March 1274, Fossanuova Abbey, Italy

Canonized: July 18, 1323, Avignon, France

Major Shrine: Church of the Jacobins, Toulouse, France

Patron of: Catholic universities, colleges, and schools

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Thomas Aquinas

Feast Day: January 28
Born:1225 :: Died:1274

Thomas was the son of the Count of Aquino and was born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples, Italy. . Thomas was one of nine children and was very intelligent, but he never boasted about it. He knew that his mind was a gift from God.

His parents hoped that he would become a Benedictine abbot some day. The family castle was in Rocca Secca, just north of Monte Cassino where the monks lived. Thomas was sent to the abbey for schooling when he was five and he was educated by the Benedictine monks there. When he was eighteen, he went to the University of Naples to finish his studies.

There he met a new group of religious men called the Order of Preachers. Their founder, St. Dominic, was still living. Thomas knew he wanted to become a priest and felt that he was called to join these men. So he secretly joined the Dominican order in 1244.

His parents were angry with him. When he was on his way to Paris to study, his brothers kidnapped him and kept him a prisoner in one of their castles for over a year. During that time, they did all they could to make him change his mind.

One of his sisters, too, came to convince him to give up his vocation. But Thomas spoke so beautifully about the joy of serving God that she changed her mind. She decided to give her life to God as a nun. After fifteen months, Thomas was finally allowed to follow his call.

St. Thomas wrote so well about God that people all over the world have used his books for hundreds of years. His explanations about God and the faith came from Thomas' great love for God. He writings touched the hearts of people because he was not trying to impress anyone. He just wanted with all his heart to offer the gift of his life to Jesus and the Church.

St. Thomas is one of the greatest Doctors of the Church and is considered the universal patron of universities, colleges, and schools.

Around the end of 1273, Pope Gregory X asked Thomas to be part of an important Church meeting called the Council of Lyons. While traveling to the meeting, Thomas became ill. He had to stop at a monastery at Fossanova, Italy, where he died. It was March 7, 1274. He was only forty-nine.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Wednesday, January 28

Liturgical Color: White

On this day in 1547, Henry VIII, King of
England died. His refusal to accept the
Church’s teaching on divorce led him to
break England away from the Church. Those
who remained faithful to the Catholic
Church, such as St. Thomas More, were
martyred.

Catholic Spiritual Direction.com

Christ and the Confidence that Comes From the Holy Spirit

January 28, 2015 by Anthony Lilles

Christ and the Confidence that Comes from the Holy Spirit

Christ baptizes in the power of the Holy Spirit and his fire animates the Christian life with hope. The Holy Spirit who moved over the waters of creation, who overshadowed the Virgin Mary, who descended on Christ at his Baptism, who carried the Crucified’s last wordless cry for our sake from the depths of His heart and into the Heart of the Father, who animates the Risen Body of Christ and who burns in the hearts of the apostles and the martyrs; He is the source of a hope so great no power in the heavens above or on the earth below can overcome it.

This hope conceived by the Holy Spirit makes sense of all the questions that riddle the effort to really live. It spouts in the face that restless longing which can find no lasting peace in this world. It rises against the burden of guilt that weighs down in shackles of all kinds of self preoccupation and escapism. It stands firm before the doom of death which hangs over all that is good, noble and true in frail humanity. This hope is rooted in the truth about the mystery of man because it is rooted in the mystery of the Son of God become the son of Mary. He who freely gave Himself for our sake reveals the truth about human dignity and the greatness of the calling with which it is entrusted.

The primordial riddles running through this present moment are all of them answered anew by the risen presence of Word made Flesh who is the source of the Holy Spirit. The Fire of God, who is the Light that shines in our darkness communicates and produces a superhuman confidence which does not fear conversion. The soil of our humanity is cultivated with supernatural power and our mortal existence made to flower with the fruit of divine life.

Christ was born in the flesh so that we might born in the Holy Spirit to live life to the full. The Fountain of Life from whom the Lord and Giver of Life flows, He longs for the Father’s work of love begun in us to be brought to completion. His Spirit-baptizing presence–born into our lowliness, crucified by our misery, and raising our humanity on high by the power of God–mysteriously opens up the freedom needed to fully give one’s life as a gift to God, to fill every moment of it with as much love as possible.

Trials, hardship, persecutions, renunciations, temptations, and sacrifices only extend and deepen the unfolding frontiers of this holy freedom, this fullness of life, this life lived by love. Such is the invincible God-given confidence of the baptized. They who have received the Gift of the Holy Spirit are continually invited to manifest this supernatural trust in God in ever more profound ways even in the face of death itself. When they welcome the Holy Spirit and obediently avail themselves to the work He accomplishes in them, they become living signs of what total trust in the Lord’s presence can do and they bear witness that not even death can steal the life that is given for the sake of God.

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for:January 28, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: 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, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o Risotto alla Milanese

o Brodo Apostolorum

o Cappelletti all'uso di Romagna

o Crown Cake

o Genoise Book Cake

o German Cinnamon Stars

o Lamb Cake

o Little Hats Cappelletti

o Mostarda di Cremona

o Nameday Sugar Cookies

o Overnight Basic Italian

o Panettone

o Pasticcio di Polenta

o Polenta

o Ship Cake

o Star-Studded Chiffon Pie

o Symbolic Pastries

o Vegetable Soup with Rice

ACTIVITIES

o Eucharist Hymn: Adoro Te Devote - Hidden God

o Eucharist Hymn: Pange Lingua

o Eucharist Hymn: Sacris Solemniis - At This Our Solemn Feast

o Eucharist Hymn: Tantum Ergo - Down in Adoration Falling

o Eucharist Hymn: Verbum Supernum - The Word of God

o Nameday Celebration Prayers and Ideas for Saint Thomas

o Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Matrimony)

PRAYERS

o Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas for Schools

o Prayer to the Angel of Schools

o Litany of St. Thomas Aquinas

o Novena for Purification

LIBRARY

o Saint Thomas Aquinas (2) | Pope Benedict XVI

o Saint Thomas Aquinas (3) | Pope Benedict XVI

o Saint Thomas Aquinas | Pope Benedict XVI

o Studiorum Ducem (On St. Thomas Aquinas) | Pope Pius XI

o The Meaning of Virtue in St. Thomas Aquinas | Fr. John A. Hardon S.J.

o The Philosophy of Woman of St. Thomas Aquinas | Kristin M. Popik

o The Teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas in Regard To the Apostles | Nicholas Halligan O.P.

o Thomas and the Experience of God | Fr. Inos Biffi

o Thomas Aquinas: a Doctor for the Ages | Romanus Cessario

o Thomas Aquinas: the Angelic Doctor | Sal Ciresi

· Ordinary Time: January 28th

· Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor

Old Calendar: St. Peter Nolasco, confessor

St. Thomas Aquinas is the Dominican order's greatest glory. He taught philosophy and theology with such genius that he is considered one of the leading Christian thinkers. His innocence, on a par with his genius, earned for him the title of "Angelic Doctor."

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, St. Thomas' feast was celebrated on March 7.

Today is the feast of St. Peter Nolasco, who was born in southern France. After the death of his wealthy parents, he spent his inheritance in Barcelona to rescue Christians enslaved by the Moors. He formed a lay confraternity, which later developed into the religious order of the Mercedarians, and led his fellow workers into Moorish territory to purchase the freedom of Christian captives, and to make numerous conversions among the non-Christians. Later Peter's Mercedarians labored among the Indians of the far-flung Spanish American Empire.

St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas ranks among the greatest writers and theologians of all time. His most important work, the Summa Theologiae, an explanation and summary of the entire body of Catholic teaching, has been standard for centuries, even to our own day. At the Council of Trent it was consulted after the Bible.

To a deeply speculative mind, he joined a remarkable life of prayer, a precious memento of which has been left to us in the Office of Corpus Christi. Reputed as great already in life, he nevertheless remained modest, a perfect model of childlike simplicity and goodness. He was mild in word and kind in deed. He believed everyone was as innocent as he himself was. When someone sinned through weakness, Thomas bemoaned the sin as if it were his own. The goodness of his heart shone in his face, no one could look upon him and remain disconsolate. How he suffered with the poor and the needy was most inspiring. Whatever clothing or other items he could give away, he gladly did. He kept nothing superfluous in his efforts to alleviate the needs of others.

After he died his lifelong companion and confessor testified, "I have always known him to be as innocent as a five-year-old child. Never did a carnal temptation soil his soul, never did he consent to a mortal sin." He cherished a most tender devotion to St. Agnes, constantly carrying relics of this virgin martyr on his person. He died in 1274, at the age of fifty, in the abbey of Fossa Nuova. He is the patron saint of schools and of sacred theology.

— Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; book sellers; Catholic academies; Catholic schools; Catholic universities; chastity; colleges; learning; lightning; pencil makers; philosophers; publishers; scholars; schools; storms; students; theologians; universities; University of Vigo.

Symbols: Chalice; monstrance; ox; star; sun; teacher with pagan philosophers at his feet; teaching.

Things to do:

Read G.K. Chesterton's biography, St. Thomas Aquinas, The Dumb Ox, which is full of Chestertonian profundity and wit online or purchase it from Amazon.
Dive into the intellectual depth and beauty of St. Thomas' thought in his Summa Theologiae. Familiarize yourself with his method of inquiry by reading his section on God's attributes, especially the goodness of God. Here is a Bibliography in English.
Nearly everyone, especially young people, knows and appreciates the story of St. Thomas chasing the prostitute from his room with a burning log. (She was sent by his wealthy family to tempt him away from the religious life.) After he drove away the temptress, two angels came to him and fastened a mystical chastity cord around his waist. Buy or fashion your own chastity belt, easy to make from braided yarn or thin, soft rope. (St. Joseph chastity belts are available at some Catholic shops.) This would be a beautiful alternative or addition to the "True Love Waits" chastity pledge and ring. It is a wonderful low-key symbol for self-conscious teens. It also serves as an excellent reminder to pray daily for the virtue of chastity.
Meditate upon the profound humility of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose intellectual capacity far surpasses any since his time. He stopped writing at the end of his life after having a vision of the glory of God, claiming that 'All that I have written seems to me like straw compared to what has now been revealed to me.' How often do we take pride in our own intellectual achievements, fully crediting them to ourselves?
If you are a student or teacher, or at all concerned about the crisis of Catholic education, make ample use of the Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas for Schools and the Prayer to the Angel of Schools.
Read Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, Aeterni Patris, strangely relevant to our time in its exhortation towards a renewal in philosophical study with a focus on the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Finally, read Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Fides et Ratio, especially the section on The enduring originality of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. He expresses a similar intent to that of Pope Leo XIII's in the following words, "If it has been necessary from time to time to intervene on this question, to reiterate the value of the Angelic Doctor's insights and insist on the study of his thought, this has been because the Magisterium's directives have not always been followed with the readiness one would wish."
From the Catholic Culture library: Light from Aquinas , The Meaning of Virtue in St. Thomas Aquinas and The Philosophy of Woman of St. Thomas Aquinas. For many more documents search the library for "aquinas".

St. Peter Nolasco
One night while Peter Nolasco was praying, the Blessed Virgin appeared (1228) and told him how greatly pleased she and her divine Son would be if a religious order were established in her honor for the express purpose of delivering Christians held in bondage by the infidels. In compliance with her wish, Peter, together with St. Raymond of Penafort and James I, King of Aragon, founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives. Besides the usual vows, all members were required to take a fourth, one by which they bound themselves to become captives of the pagans, if necessary, to effect the emancipation of Christians.

On one occasion Peter Nolasco ransomed 400 at Valencia and Granada; twice he traveled to Africa as "the Ransomer," not without peril to his own life; and records show that through his personal efforts a total of 890 Christians regained their liberty. He died with these words from Psalm 110 on his lips: The Lord has sent redemption to His people.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Things to Do:

To find out more about the history of the Mercedarian Order read this account.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 4:1-20

Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

The sower sows the word. (Mark 4:14)

Perhaps when you read or hear this parable, you focus on the different kinds of soils, or the environments on which the seeds fall. Maybe you even wonder which one of these soils best fits you, and you hope that you are like the good soil that produces abundantly. But how about seeing yourself as the sower instead? Maybe it’s worth considering how much God may want you to sow the seed of his word.

If there is one word that characterizes the sower in this parable, it is generous. This fellow spreads his seeds everywhere. He doesn’t seem all that concerned about where the seed will fall. He simply casts it to and fro.

Isn’t this a great image for how we should view evangelization? Shouldn’t we be generous, almost indiscriminate, in the way we share God’s word and his promises? We really shouldn’t worry about where the seeds may fall or the “soil quality” of those with whom we share the word. Whether, in our judgment, the ground is hard, weedy, thorny, or fertile shouldn’t matter. After all, it is the Lord who gives the growth, not us (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). All we have to worry about is sowing as generously as we can.

Think for a moment how many other seeds the world, the flesh, and the devil are sowing all around us. There’s nothing stingy in their tactics. How much more, then, should we counter all these poisonous seeds with the seeds of the gospel! The need is great, so don’t be intimidated! And by all means, don’t feel defeated or outnumbered! God has promised to be with you always as you spread his word.

So how are you going to sow today? What opportunities will you seize to spread the seeds of the gospel? They’re all around, after all. Keep your eyes open, as you ask the Lord to help you see ways you can creatively witness to his love. Who knows? He may even give you brothers and sisters in Christ who are just as zealous as you to proclaim the word, in season and out!

“Lord Jesus, make me a generous evangelizer and sower of your word in all kinds of soil. Fill me with zeal and courage to go forth and spread your seeds all over the world!”

Hebrews 10:11-18
Psalm 110:1-4

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for January 28, 2015:

Perhaps your children are grown and it’s just the two of you again. Has your attention to each other grown stale or routine? Take up a new hobby, sport, or volunteer effort together.

Regnum Christi

Fertile Ground for the Harvest

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

January 28, 2015. Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Mark 4:1-20

On another occasion he began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, "Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." He added, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear." And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, "The mystery of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that ´they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.´" Jesus said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I want to spend these moments close to you. I believe that you are here with me. Take over my life more and more and make it what it was meant to be. Lord, I put my trust in you.

Petition: Jesus, make the soil of my heart open to your word, so that it will bear fruit for eternal life.

1.A Sabotaged Plan:What the Father has planted in our lives is good. Goodness can bear fruit. But Christ has shown us that there is someone who does not want us to bear fruit. The devil tries to take goodness from our lives through enticing us with evil, filling our hearts with selfishness, and making us insensitive to the movements of grace in our soul. We need to renounce Satan every day by fixing our will on the goodness of Christ. This is done through sincere prayer and generosity of spirit.

2.Make Your Furrows Deep: The strength of our resolve is tested by the difficulties we face. If we go deeper in our prayer each day and build up the habit of letting go of our own ego, we can face the bad times with peace and trust. When our spiritual roots are not deep, we find ourselves disoriented, even defeated by the tribulations that are part of an authentic Christian life. Christ teaches us to dig deep. With him as our friend, difficulties become a way to show our love and to do something that has eternal value. If I don’t fight, how can I merit a crown of victory?

3.Docility, Not Passivity: In order to bear fruit we must be docile to God’s word. But being docile does not mean being passive. For a Christian, docility to Christ and the Holy Spirit means willingness to work and serve. We are followers of the One who came to serve. The Spirit that is self-surrender moves us. To hear the Word of God and accept it means to make our lives an imitation of Christ’s total self-giving—day in and day out. God will grant fruit to our lives if we are willing to be other Christs in the here and now.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for showing me how to bear fruit in my life. I want to imitate your self-surrender to the Father and to souls. I know that this requires a constant effort to go deep in my life and be docile to the Holy Spirit. Help me to live as a giver, not a taker. Your love will always be there to accompany me.

Resolution: Today I will offer up a small sacrifice to ask God for the grace of acquiring the virtue that I need the most.

Homily of the Day

January 28, 2015

Today’s Gospel helps us to examine what kind of “soil” we are. Some of the seeds will fall into rich trenches in the ploughed fields, take root, grow and produce a hundred times its own weight in harvest. That’s what the Kingdom of heaven is like. It’s a life-giving seed that everyone desires and receives it. The sacred seed in some people is crushed to death by others. But many people have an open and receptive heart. Their sacred seed will grow and produce abundant fruit.

Take time, in prayer, to remember your sacred seed. Where do you feel there has been stony ground, rocks, or thorniness in your life? Where are the rich fruitful trenches? Does the word of God have a fighting chance to take root in your life? Pray to our loving God who sows his seed so generously.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 31, Issue 1

<< Wednesday, January 28, 2015 >>

St. Thomas Aquinas

Hebrews 10:11-18
View Readings

Psalm 110:1-4

Mark 4:1-20
Similar Reflections

ARE YOU SLUGGISH OR CURIOUS?

"You do not understand this parable? How then are you going to understand other figures like it?" —Mark 4:13

Jesus wants us to take ownership of our understanding of our faith. He wants us to ask questions as did the apostles (see Mk 4:10), to study, to probe deeply and persistently until we understand the meaning. Jesus tells parables so we might have the chance to ponder the Word, nourish it, and make it grow.

When asked why He only taught the crowds in parables, Jesus quoted Isaiah 6:10 (see Mk 4:12). Jesus knows that the hearts of people in the crowd, while interested in His teaching, are by nature "sluggish," their ears "dull," and their eyes closed (see Is 6:10). A parable resembles a riddle. It is designed to make its hearers think, ponder, and reflect until either the meaning of the parable is understood or the hearers dismiss it from their minds. Those who hear the parable will need to ask questions of those more advanced in their faith in order to better understand the meaning.

The hearers of the parable have a choice if they do not understand it. They can be like the rocky ground (Mk 4:16), dismiss the parable, and thus miss out on a chance to grow in faith. In so doing, their hearts become ever more sluggish to the Lord's message, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 6:10. On the other hand, the hearers can be good soil which receives the Word, studies it, learns it, and bears a rich harvest (Mk 4:20).

Jesus is teaching you in parables. Will you sluggishly dismiss them, or will you seek and find their meaning?

Prayer: Jesus, make me docile to Your teaching and zealous to understand it, live by it, and spread it.

Promise: "Their sins and their transgressions I will remember no more." —Heb 10:17

Praise: St. Thomas was blessed with a superior intelligence. He spent his entire life in the ministry of the Word of God. "How different the man who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High!" (Sir 39:1)

Life Jewels (Listen)
A collection of One Minute Pro-Life messages. A different message each time you click.

Doctors of the Catholic Church

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Also known as

Angelic Doctor
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis
Great Synthesizer
The Dumb Ox
The Universal Teacher

Memorial

28 January
formerly 7 March

Profile

Son of the Count of Aquino, born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples, Italy. Educated by Benedictine monks at Monte Cassino, and at the University of Naples. He secretly joined the mendicant Dominican friars in 1244. His family kidnapped and imprisoned him for a year to keep him out of sight, and deprogram him, but they failed to sway him, and he rejoined his order in 1245.

He studied in Paris, France from 1245 to 1248 under Saint Albert the Great, then accompanied Albertus to Cologne, Germany. Ordained in 1250, then returned to Paris to teach. Taught theology at University of Paris. He wrote defenses of the mendicant orders, commentaries on Aristotle and Lombard’s Sentences, and some bible-related works, usually by dictating to secretaries. He won his doctorate, and taught in several Italian cities. Recalled by king and university to Paris in 1269, then recalled to Naples in 1272 where he was appointed regent of studies while working on the Summa Theologica.

On 6 December 1273 he experienced a divine revelation which so enraptured him that he abandoned the Summa, saying that it and his other writing were so much straw in the wind compared to the reality of the divine glory. He died four months later while en route to the Council of Lyons, overweight and with his health broken by overwork.

His works have been seminal to the thinking of the Church ever since. They systematized her great thoughts and teaching, and combined Greek wisdom and scholarship methods with the truth of Christianity. Pope Leo VIII commanded that his teachings be studied by all theology students. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1567.

Born

c.1225 at Roccasecca, Aquino, Naples, Italy

Died

7 March 1274 at Fossanuova near Terracina of apparent natural causes
relics interred at Saint-Servin, Toulouse, France
relics translated to the Church of the Jacobins, Toulouse on 22 October 1974

Canonized

18 July 1323 by Pope John XXII

Patronage

academics
against storms
against lightning
apologists
book sellers
Catholic academies
Catholic schools (proclaimed on 4 August 1880 by Pope Leo XIII)
Catholic universities
chastity
colleges
learning
pencil makers
philosophers
publishers
scholars
schools
students
theologians
universities
—
University of Vigo
Aquino, Italy
Aquino-Pontecorvo, Italy, diocese of
Belcastro, Italy
Falerna, Italy
Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo, Italy, diocese of

Prayers

Representation

chalice
dove, usually speaking into his ear, sometimes as he writes
monstrance
ox
star
sun
teacher with pagan philosophers at his feet
teaching
person trampled under foot

Storefront

medals and pendants

Additional Information

Catholic Encyclopedia
Golden Legend
Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
Pictorial Lives of the Saints
Saint Thomas Aquinas, by G K Chesterton (available in epub and kindle formats)
Saint Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Preachers, by Father Placid Conway, OP (available in epub and kindle formats)
Studiorum Ducem, by Pope Pius XI
Summa Theologica P1, Q1: The Nature and Extent of Sacred Doctrine
Summa Theologica P1, Q2: The Existence of God
Summa Theologica P1, Q3: Of the Simplicity of God
Summa Theologica P1, Q4: The Perfection of God
Summa Theologica P1, Q5: On Goodness in General
Summa Theologica P1, Q6: The Goodness of God
books
- A Summa of the Summa: The Essential Philosophical Passages, Edited and Explained for Beginners, by Peter Kreeft
- Aesthetics of Thomas Aquinas, by Umberto Eco, Hugh Bredin (translator)
- Aquinas: Moral, Political, and Legal Theory, by John Finnis
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Guide of Thomas Aquinas, by Josef Pieper
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
- Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Person and His Work (Volume 1), by Jean-Pierre Torrell, Robert Royal (Translator), Walter Principe
- The Christian Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, by Etienne Gilson, I.T.Shook
- Thomas Aquinas: Spiritual Master, by Robert Barron
other sites in english
- 1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian Catholic Truth Society
- American Catholic
- Catholic Culture
- Catholic Herald
- Catholic Ireland
- Catholic Living
- Catholic News Agency
- Catholic Online
- Communio
- CRadio
- New Theological Movement
- Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology
- Saints Stories for All Ages
- Thomas Aquinas in English: A Bibliography
- Tom Pena: The Angelic Doctor
- uCatholic
- Wikipedia
images
- Local Gallery
- Wikimedia Commons
audio
- Christian Apologetics #1
- Christian Apologetics #2: What is the relationship between religion and science?
- Quinque Viae, by Saint Thomas
- Summa Theologica 01: Initial Questions, by Saint Thomas
- Summa Theolgica 02: Pars Prima, Trinity and Creation, by Saint Thomas
- Summa Theoligica 03: Pars Prima, Angels and the Six Days
- Summa Theologica 04: Pars Prima, On Man, by Saint Thomas
- Summa Theologica 05: Pars Prima, On the Divine Government
video
- YouTube Playlist
e-books
- Aquinas – A Guide for the Perplexed, by Peter S Eardley and Carl N Still
- Aquinas’s Summa: Background, Structure and Reception, by Benedict M Guevin, OSB
- Authority of Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Jacobus M Ramirez, OP
- Bread of Life – Saint Thomas Aquinas on the Sacrament of the Altar, by Father Rawes, DD
- Catechism of the Summa Theologica, by R P Thomas Pegues, OP
- Catechism, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Classification of Desires in Saint Thomas and in Modern Sociology, by Henry Ignatius Smith, OP
- Commentary on Aristotle’s Treatise on the Soul, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Commentary on the Gospel of John, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Compendium of Theology, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Concerning Being and Essence, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Devotion of the Six Sundays in Honor of the Angel of the Schools, Saint Thomas of Aquinas, by Father Henry Joseph Fflugbeil, OP
- Elements of Moral Theology, Based on the Summa Theologiae, by John J Elmendort, STD
- Function of the Phantasm in Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Henry Carr
- Grounds of Non-Catholic Freedom in the Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, by Arhtur Maxson Smith
- Homilies for Sundays, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Introduction to the Metaphysics of Saint Thomas Aquinas, by James F Anderson
- Lexicon of Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Life and Labors of Saint Thomas of Aquinas, by Archbishop Roger Bede Vaughan
- Life of the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Pius Cavanaugh, OP
- Life of Thomas Aquinas, by Renn Dickson Hampden, DD
- Life of Thomas Aquinas, from the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana
- Meditations for Lent, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Meditations for Lent, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Mediaeval Philosophy Illustrated from the System of Thomas Aquinas, by Maurice de Wulf
- Modern Thomistic Philosophy, v1, by R P Phillips
- Moral Teaching of Saint Thomas, v1, by Joseph Rickaby, SJ
- Moral Teaching of Saint Thomas, v2, by Joseph Rickaby, SJ
- Moral Theology: A Complete Course Based on Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Charles Jerome Callan
- New Things and Old in Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Ninety-nine Homilies of Saint Thomas Aquinas, translated by John M Ashley, BCL
- Of God and His Creatures, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- On Prayer and the Contemplative Life, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Philosophical Texts of Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Thomas Gilby
- Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Hans Meyer
- Physical System of Saint Thomas, by Father Giovannit Maria Cornoldi, SJ
- Political Ideas of Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Reactions Between Dogma and Philosophy, illustrated from the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Philip H Wicksteed
- Relationship Between Faith and Reason in Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Darrell
- Religious State, according to the Doctrine of Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Canon Jules Didiot
- Saint Thomas Aquinas and Ideology, by Father Ferre
- Saint Thomas Aquinas and Medieval Philosophy, by D J Kennedy, OP
- Saint Thomas’ Political Doctrine and Democracy, by Father Edward F Murphy
- Summa Theologica, Part 1, Questions 1 – 26
- Summa Theologica, Part 1, Questions 27 – 74
- Summa Theologica, Part 1, Questions 75 – 102
- Summa Theologica, Part 1, Questions 103 – 119
- Summa Theologica, Part 2, Questions 1 – 46
- Summa Theologica, Part 2, Questions 47 – 79
- Summa Theologica, Part 2, Questions 80 – 100
- Summa Theologica, Part 2, Questions 101 – 140
- Summa Theologica, Part 2, Questions 141 – 170
- Summa Theologica, Part 2, Questions 171 – 189
- Summa Theologica, Part 3, Questions 1 – 26
- Summa Theologica, Part 3, Questions 27 – 59
- Summa Theologica, Part 3, Questions 60 – 83
- Summa Theologica, Part 3, Questions 84 – Supplement 33
- Summa Theologica, Part 3, Supplement 34 – 68
- Summa Theologica, Part 3, Supplement 69 – 86
- Summa Theologica, Part 3, Supplement 87 – 99, Appendices
- Summary Exposition of Saint Thomas Aquinas’s Philosophy of Knowledge
- Thomas Aquinas, by Father M C D’Arcy
- Thomas Aquinas, His Personality and Thought, by Dr Martin Grabmann
- Thomism and Mathematical Physics, by Bernard I Mullahy
- Treatise on Law, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Treatise on Man, by Saint Thomas Aquinas
siti in italiano
- Santi e Beati
spletne strani v sloven¹cini
- Svetniki

Readings

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. - Saint Thomas Aquinas

Charity is the form, mover, mother and root of all the virtues. - Saint Thomas Aquinas

We are like children, who stand in need of masters to enlighten us and direct us; and God has provided for this, by appointing his angels to be our teachers and guides. - Saint Thomas Aquinas

If you seek the example of love: “Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends.” Such a man was Christ on the cross. And if he gave his life for us, then it should not be difficult to bear whatever hardships arise for his sake. If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because “when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth.” If you seek an example of obedience, follow him who became obedient to the Father even unto death. “For just as by the disobedience of one man,” namely, Adam, “many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, many were made righteous.” If you seek an example of despising earthly things, follow him who is “the King of kings and the Lord of lords, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Upon the cross he was stripped, mocked, spat upon, struck, crowned with thorns, and given only vinegar and gall to drink. Do not be attached, therefore, to clothing and riches, because “they divided my garments among themselves.” Nor to honors, for he experienced harsh words and scourgings. Nor to greatness of rank, for “weaving a crown of thorns they placed it on my head.” Nor to anything delightful, for “in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” - from the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas

The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods. - Saint Thomas Aquinas

Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace. - Saint Thomas Aquinas

Most loving Lord, grant me a steadfast heart which no unworthy desire may drag downards; an unconquered hear which no hardship may wear out; an upright heart which no worthless purpose may ensnare. Impart to me also, O God, the understanding to know you, the diligence to seek you, a way of life to please you, and a faithfulness that may embrace you, through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen. - Saint Thomas Aquinas, from Something Of A Saint

Hence we must say that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act. But he does not need a new light added to his natural light, in order to know the truth in all things, but only in some that surpasses his natural knowledge. - Saint Thomas Aquinas

Thank you! You put so much work into this! I'm bookmarking it! Please keep it archived... I feel somehow, that after decades of frustration and misunderstanding, my time to learn the wisdom of the "Dumb Ox" has finally arrived!
God bless you, and Mary keep you!