28 January 2023
Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church
In his own lifetime, St. Thomas was recognized as a tremendous intellect and devout religious friar. As the centuries moved on, his reputation continued to grow, and scholars continued to benefit from mining the wisdom of his writings. We owe to him great works of philosophy, clear commentaries on Scripture, the famous Summa Theologiae, and the poetry and prayers of the feast of Corpus Christi. It was St. Thomas’ faith that was the foundation for all of his brilliance and sanctity.
In the Gospel we see how faith grows in the lives of the disciples. In the midst of the storm, they cry out to Christ who is with them. They face questions from Christ who saves them. Finally, they are filled with questions about Jesus who has saved them: “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Mark 4:41) St. Thomas Aquinas faced tremendous storms early in life. When he decided to dedicate his life to Christ as a poor Dominican friar, his family kidnapped him for a whole year and tried everything to get him to give up his vocation. St. Thomas prayed and cried out to Jesus who was with him, and received strength to persevere in his vocation in that time of imprisonment and the rest of his life. St. Thomas dedicated his whole life to listening to what Christ has spoken in Sacred Scripture, and then to being filled with wonder and fostering a deep desire to ask questions about Christ, to seek to know Jesus more and more deeply.
As we celebrate this great saint and doctor of the Church today, let us ask God to listen to Christ as he did, to seek to know Jesus more and more deeply as he did, and to share our love for Jesus with others with patience, with clarity, and with prayer.