St. Thomas Aquinas - Sermon In A Sentence: A Treasury of Quotations on the Spiritual Life from the Writings of St. Catherine of Siena Doctor of the Church

SERMON IN A SENTENCE

St. Thomas Aquinas

SERMON IN A SENTENCE

A Treasury of Quotations
on the Spiritual Life

FROM THE WRITINGS OF

DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Arranged according to the Virtues of
the Holy Rosary
and Other Spiritual Topics

Selected and Arranged by
JOHN P. McCLERNON

IGNATIUS PRESS SAN FRANCISCO

Cover art by Christopher J. Pelicano
Cover design by Roxanne Mei Lum

Frontispiece by John Herreid

2007 Ignatius Press, San Francisco
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-1-58617-185-8
Library of Congress Control Number 2006939363
Printed in the United States of America

The more a soul has been modeled on its Creator in this world, the more it will be like Him in the life to come; and the more it will be like Him, the greater will be its bliss, the more it will give glory to God, and the more it will be useful to every creature .

St. Thomas Aquinas

This work is dedicated to my wonderful and supportive wife, Mary, and to the fruit of our marriage, the five beautiful children with whom God has blessed us: Christopher, Clare, Catherine, David, and Stephen.

My good friend and fellow Third Order Dominican Lorne Thomas is to be thanked for his ever-present support and advice. Lornes knowledge and appreciation of the writings and teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas has proven invaluable to me. He is without doubt a tried and true ambassador for the Angelic Doctor.

Special thanks goes out once again to my mother, Judy McClernon, whose advice and assistance in sorting through and selecting these spiritual gems from St. Thomas have been so helpful.

Last, but certainly not least, I wish to thank St. Thomas Aquinas for the monumental written legacy he has left to the Catholic Church and, for that matter, the world. They are certainly timeless, to be treasured by scholars, theologians, religious, and lay people for all times and places. The Angelic Doctor was just that: a miraculous gift of God to a humanity that even seven hundred years after him still hungers for the Eternal Light of Truth, as given us in Jesus Christ, His Son. St. Thomas is the real author of this book. It is an honor to be used as an instrument in bringing his advice and teachings to souls seeking a tried and true path to holiness and sanctity.

At one point in his studies, Thomas Aquinas was called by some of his fellow students a dumb ox. They were not aware of the depths of his concentration or of the thoroughness he employed while pursuing his objects of investigation. What appeared sometimes to be slowness of response was, in reality, his being lost in thought. It was his teacher, St. Albert the Great, who set the students straight by predicting: One day, his bellowing will be heard around the earth.

This prediction is fulfilled in Thomas theology being taught in seminaries around the world and in his Eucharistic hymns and Corpus Christi liturgy resounding down the centuries in Catholic churches everywhere.

It is characteristic of Thomas pursuit of truth that it be as exhaustive as possible. His synthesis of Aristotles philosophy with his own Christian faith is an example. Truth, from whatever source! was his operating axiom. He would start with the best that human reason provided and top off the subject with appropriate revelation. The full truth, in the Dominican tradition, was his objective.

In his life, St. Thomas practiced what he preached. In the midst of fame and honors, he was a humble man, knowing the truth and living it. Despite his gigantic efforts in searching for truth in the wisdom of others, he attributed most of his learning to Gods help, imparted to him as he prayed before the crucifix. His simple lifestyle as a religious made it possible for him to spend most of his time in prayer and study and in sharing the fruits of his contemplation with others.

In our modern times we might well follow the example of this medieval saint. In our now generation we need to move beyond the external senses and into the realm of thought. Providing time and interest for thinking about things would be a good discipline, applicable to our everyday life. Prayerfully thinking about God and His creation could enrich that daily life and prepare us for the happiness of the life yet to come. The well-chosen words of St. Thomas as presented in this little book will be an excellent guide in our transition from this life into the next.

Father Edward Robinson, O.P.
Dominican Priory of St. Albert the Great
Irving, Texas

There are many Catholics who would like nothing better than to read the actual writings of the Churchs spiritual giants. But how many do? The culture of today leads us to embrace such busy lifestyles. All too often the time needed to feed the soul takes a back seat, and one ends up spiritually starved. The Sermon in a Sentence series is designed for just such a person.

Imagine spending a few minutes with St. Thomas Aquinas, a Doctor of the Church and considered by many scholars as her greatest theologian and philosopher. The depth of knowledge and spiritual wisdom granted this thirteenth-century Dominican friar continues to enlighten Christianity today as it has for the past seven hundred years. Although certainly one of the worlds greatest minds, he lived as an unassuming, humble, and pious friar of the Order of Preachers. The Angelic Doctor, as the Catholic Church affectionately calls him, beckons souls to embrace the pursuit of Eternal Truth, and to embark on sure paths leading to the source of life and all beauty: the Eternal Godhead. The gifted insights of the great Aquinas have led many a scholar, theologian, religious, and layman to a deeper walk with God, and a better understanding of the Catholic Faith. This book has been designed to bring the inspiration of his words to you in a very simple and direct format.

Hundreds of short quotations taken from the writings and sayings of St. Thomas have been classified by the Christian virtues of which they speak and then arranged to complement the Rosary, proceeding from the first joyful mystery (the Annunciation, with its virtue of humility) to the fifth glorious mystery (the Crowning of Mary, with its virtue of devotion to Mary). The Luminous Mysteries, introduced by John Paul II as an optional addition to the Rosary, are also included. For those who choose to use these excerpts for meditation while reciting the Rosary, we have placed a type ornament after the tenth one, to mark the end of a decade. Additional quotations follow, for use with a Rosary or for separate meditation. A selection of quotations on other spiritual topics of interest follows, bringing the reader a sample of St. Thomas insights into such subjects as prayer and the Church.

It is hoped that this little book will serve as an effective introduction to one of our worlds greatest spiritual masters. May these quotes and short sayings find a place in your heart and soul and draw you closer to our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom St. Thomas Aquinas loved and served so well.

The author gratefully acknowledges the following sources and the permissions granted to reprint excerpts:

Aquinass Shorter Summa. St. Thomas Aquinass Own Concise Version of His Summa Theologica . St. Thomas Aquinas. Reprint of Light of Faith: The Compendium of Theology . Manchester, N.H.: Sophia Institute Press, 2002. Originally published in English in 1947 as The Compendium of Theology by B. Herder Book Company. Copyright 1993, 2002 by Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, N.H.