Page 5 - St. Joseph Messenger September 2020

St Thomas Aquinas - Light of the Church

A fitting patron saint for students, teachers, and all aspiring scholars

T
homas Aquinas, angelic doctor of the
Church, was a quiet and humble student.
This prompted his fellow students to mock
him as “The Dumb Ox.” They interpreted his silence
and deep thought as a lack of intelligence. One of the
strongest defenses of St Thomas Aquinas, in this
regard, was made by his beloved professor St. Albert
the Great. He had heard Thomas’s defense of a
complicated thesis and countered the mockery of the
students with this statement:

“We call this young man a dumb ox,
but his bellowing in doctrine will one day
resound throughout the world.”

And so it did! Thomas Aquinas is one of the most
intellectual and prolific writers in the history of the
Catholic Church. In fewer than 50 years, he wrote
over sixty works. He had such a keen mind that he
was able to dictate to several scribes at the same
time.
Saint Albert the Great
The Early Journey AD 1352
Thomas was born to parents who were descended Tommaso da Modena
from nobility. When he was just five years old, he Fresco
was sent to the Benedictine monks of Monte Cassino Chapter House, San Niccolò, Treviso
to be educated. The Abbot of Monte Cassino The Productive Years
recognized that Thomas was an exceptional student. Under the tutelage of St. Albert the Great in Co-
He recommended that he be sent to the University of logne, Thomas flourished. He then accompanied this
Naples where he soon surpassed his masters in the beloved professor to Paris and then back to
grasp of each of his subjects. Cologne. It was here that he was ordained a priest
and preached in Germany, France, and Italy.
When Thomas received the habit of the Order of St.
Dominic, his mother became distressed, having had He rose from Bachelor to Doctor of Theology during
her own plans for her son with the Benedictine order. this time and began what we would call his public
She sent his brothers, who were soldiers at the time, life. He began to command the attention of profes-
to kidnap Thomas and hold him in confinement until sors and students alike. He taught, he wrote, he
he gave up his vocation with the Dominicans. De- preached, and he combatted heretical writings.
spite their efforts, Thomas held to his vocation, and He was truly a well-respected philosopher and
after almost two years of confinement, he was re- theologian, a man pure in heart and keen in mind.
leased to the Dominicans, to pray, teach, and write. Cont’d.

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