BIG C CATHOLICS

In honor of Saint Thomas Aquinas' feast day, [January 28th] here is the Angelic Doctor’s consideration of Islam and the teachings of its prophet Mohammed. It is noteworthy but hardly surprising that one of the most brilliant theologians in the Church’s history was beholden to truth, not morally devoid political correctness. Aquinas rarely discusses Islam expressly, save for two instances.* In one, he defends Christianity against Muslim objections [See Summa Contra Gentiles ] noting that; the blood of Christian martyrs leads to coverts, whereas Islam is spread by the sword. Moreover, Aquinas compares and contrasts Christ’s selfless divinity with Mohammed’s ruthless inhumanity. To wit, in Aquinas’ own words: He [Mohammed] did not bring forth any signs produced in a supernatural way, which alone fittingly gives witness to divine inspiration; for a visible action that can be only divine reveals an invisibly inspired teacher of truth. On the contrary, Mohammed said that he was se

The brilliant theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas thought deeply about the ends of Christian life, including and especially on the "Last Things". His comment on the souls' longing for God in Purgatory reminds us that to live virtuously is our duty. The more one longs for a thing, the more painful does deprivation of it become. And because after this life, the desire for God, the Supreme Good, is intense in the souls of the just (because this impetus toward him is not hampered by the weight of the body, and that time of enjoyment of the Perfect Good would have come) had there been no obstacle; the soul suffers enormously from the delay. — St. Thomas Aquinas ________________________________ Prayer for St. Thomas Aquinas' Intercession Almighty ever-loving 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 by his witn

Feast Day - September 29th Angels are pure, created spirits. The word angel means servant or messenger of God. Angels are celestial or heavenly beings, on a higher order than human beings. Angels have no bodies and do not depend on matter for their existence. They are distinct from saints, which men can become. Angels have intellect and will, and are immortal. They are a vast multitude, but each is an individual person. Archangels are one of the nine choirs of angels listed in the Bible. In ascending order, the choirs are: 1) Angels, 2) Archangels, 3) Principalities, 4) Powers, 5) Virtues, 6) Dominations, 7) Thrones, 8) Cherubim, and 9) Seraphim. On the penultimate day in September, the Church celebrates the feast of the Archangels. As purely incorporeal, rational beings, Angels are extensions of God Himself, personifying his grace, majesty and intellect. The Angelic Doctor explains that each individual Angel is its own species within the genus "Angel". Archangels ha

Tradition holds that the medieval saint Thomas Aquinas levitated and had visions of our Lord. He was greatly concerned with explaining the mind of God, and he continues to matter because he helps us with a problem which still confounds us today; how we can reconcile religion with science and faith with reason. Aquinas’ monumental contribution was to teach Western civilization that any person could have access to great truths whenever they made use of God's gift of reason. Aquinas broke a log jam in Christian thinking over the question of how non-Christians could have both wisdom and at the same time no interest in or even knowledge of Jesus. Aquinas universalized intelligence. He opened the Christian mind to the insights of all of humanity from across the ages and the continents. The modern world insofar as it insists that good ideas can come from any quarter regardless of creed or background remains hugely in Aquinas’ debt. As a young seminarian, Aquinas went to study at th

January 28th, is the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century Dominican theologian who demonstrated that faith and reason are complementary, not contradictory. Renowned among the greatest theologians of the Catholic Church, his master work, the Summa Theologica , was placed on the altar alongside the Bible and the Decretals at the Council of Trent. Aquinas was both a philosopher and a priest. Confronting new developments in thought, he refused either to lose faith or mindlessly believe, and developed a new understanding of the place of reason in human life. His virtuous example and ethereal theological insights are reasons why in 1568, Pope Pius V proclaimed Saint Aquinas the ‘Angelic Doctor’. Thomas Aquinas was born to a noble family in Roccasecca, Italy in 1225. As a young man with preternatural spiritual gifts. he went to study at the University of Naples and there encountered sources of knowledge which had just begun to be rediscovered, ancient Greek and Roman texts. A

One of the most brilliant minds in the history of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 at the castle of Roccasecca, in the present day Lazio region of Italy, the youngest of nine children. Thomas’ father was a man of means and nobility. Thomas's mother would try to prevent Thomas from joining the Dominican Order. His family expected him to enter the Benedictine Abbey where his uncle was the abbot. Thomas Aquinas dedicated his life to creating a complete synthesis of Catholic philosophy and theology. In honor of his feast day, [January 28] here are twelve things every Catholic should know about the Angelic Doctor. 1. Before Aquinas was born, a holy hermit told his mother that her son would be a great learner and achieve unrivaled sanctity. From, Saint Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Preachers , by Fr. Placid Conway, OP, comes this account of the holy hermit’s prediction concerning the unborn Aquinas’ future life and accomplishments: "The future holiness of the

Saint Thomas Aquinas [1225-1274] was born in 1225 at the castle of Roccasecca, in Italy. He dedicated his life to creating a complete synthesis of Catholic philosophy and theology. Although humble and quiet, Aquinas possessed one of the most intellectually curious minds in history. He is regarded as the Catholic Church's greatest theologian, philosopher and jurist. In 1244, Aquinas joined the nascent Dominican Order. Nick named the "Dumb Ox" by classmates, in undeserved derision, one of his lecturers, St.Albertus Magnus, exclaimed in reply: "You call him the dumb ox, but in his teaching he will one day produce such a bellowing that it will be heard throughout the world." Aquinas' greatest work, the  Summa Theologica is the definitive text for those studying to be priests. It is a work universally revered and consulted by adherents of multiple faiths, as well as those who profess none. Aquinas is the pride of the Dominican Orders. In addition to his inte

One of the most brilliant minds in the history of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 at the castle of Roccasecca, in the present day Lazio region of Italy, the youngest of nine children. Thomas’ father was a man of means and nobility. Thomas's mother would try to prevent Thomas from joining the Dominican Order. His family expected him to enter the Benedictine Abbey where his uncle was the abbot. Thomas Aquinas dedicated his life to creating a complete synthesis of Catholic philosophy and theology. In honor of his feast day, [January 28] here are ten things every Catholic should know about the Angelic Doctor. 1. Before Aquinas was born, a holy hermit told his mother that her son would be a great learner and achieve unrivaled sanctity. From, " Saint Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Preachers ," by Fr. Placid Conway, OP, comes this account of the holy hermit’s prediction concerning the unborn Aquinas’ future life and accomplishments: The future holiness o

"Philosophy is the handmaid en of the Sacred Science (Theology)" - St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas was the son of the Count of Aquino, born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples. Educated by Benedictine monks at Monte Cassino and at the University of Naples, he secretly joined the Dominican friars in 1244. His family kidnapped and imprisoned him for a year to discourage his vocation. This failed. Thomas rejoined his order in 1245. He studied in Paris from 1245 to 1248 under Saint Albert the Great, and accompanied Albertus to Cologne. Ordained in 1250, he returned to Paris to teach theology. Thomas wrote commentaries on Aristotle and Lombard’s Sentences and some bible-related works. After receiving his doctorate he was recalled to Naples in 1272. There, Thomas was appointed regent of studies while working on the Summa Theologica . On December 6, 1273, Thomas experienced a Divine revelation. He abandoned the Summa , shortly thereafter, saying it was mere straw com