FEAST of SAint Thomas AQuinas
He replied, “Calm down! Do not FEAR! Your God and the God of your
father must have put treasure in your bags for you. As for your money, I received
it.” With that, he led Simeon out to them.
Being
calm under pressure or threat is the ultimate way we can show trust in God.
Here are some more verses to ponder on calming down:[1]
·
Be
angry but do not sin;
do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not
leave room for the devil. (Ep. 4:26-27)
·
For
God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and
self-control.
(2Tm. 1:7)
·
He
hushed the storm to silence; the waves of the sea were stilled. They
rejoiced that the sea grew calm, that God brought them to the harbor they
longed for. (Ps. 107:29-30)
·
He
got into a boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a
violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by
waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We
are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little
faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great
calm. The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this,
whom even the winds and the sea obey?” (Mt. 8:23-27)
Many are afraid of the new President—Calm Down! Do not Fear
St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and
Doctor of the Church[2]
Thomas Aquinas
thoughts on Fear
Article
1. Whether God can be feared? I answer that,
Just as hope has two objects, one of which is the future good itself,
that one expects to obtain, while the other is someone's help, through whom one
expects to obtain what one hopes for, so, too, fear may have two objects, one of which is the very evil which a
man shrinks from, while the other is that from which the evil may
come. Accordingly, in the first way God, Who is goodness
itself, cannot be an object of fear; but He can be an object of fear in the
second way, in so far as there may come to us some evil either
from Him or in relation to Him. From Him there comes the evil of
punishment, but this is evil not
absolutely but relatively, and, absolutely speaking, is a good.
Because, since a thing is said to be good through
being ordered to an end, while evil implies
lack of this order, that which excludes the order to the last end is altogether
evil,
and such is the evil
of fault. On the other hand the evil of
punishment is indeed an evil, in so
far as it is the privation of some particular good, yet
absolutely speaking, it is a good, in so
far as it is ordained to the last end. In relation to God the evil of
fault can come to us, if we be separated from Him: and in this way God can and
ought to be feared.
Article
2. Whether fear is fittingly divided into filial, initial, servile and worldly
fear? I answer that, We are speaking of fear now, in so
far as it makes us turn, so to speak, to God or away
from Him. For, since the object of fear is an evil,
sometimes, on account of the evils he fears, man
withdraws from God,
and this is called human
fear; while sometimes, on account of the evils he fears, he
turns to God
and adheres to Him. This latter evil is
twofold, viz. evil
of punishment, and evil
of fault. Accordingly if a man turn to God and
adhere to Him, through fear of punishment, it will be servile fear; but if it
be on account of fear of committing a fault, it will be filial fear, for it
becomes a child to fear offending its father. If, however, it be on account of
both, it will be initial fear, which is between both these fears.
Article
3. Whether worldly fear is always evil? I answer that, moral acts and habits take
their name and species
from their objects. Now the proper object of the appetite's
movement is the final good: so
that, in consequence, every appetitive
movement is both specified and named from its proper end. For if anyone were to
describe covetousness
as love of work because men work on account of covetousness,
this description would be incorrect, since the covetous man seeks
work not as end but as a means: the end that he seeks is wealth,
wherefore covetousness
is rightly described as the desire or the love of wealth, and
this is evil.
Accordingly, worldly love is, properly speaking; the love whereby a man trusts
in the world as his end, so that worldly love is always evil. Now
fear is born of love, since man fears the
loss of what he loves, as Augustine
states. Now worldly fear is that which arises from worldly love as from an evil root,
for which reason worldly fear is always evil.
Things to do:[3]
·
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".
Life First[4] 9 Days for
Life
Day Seven:
Intercession: May those who long to welcome a child into their family be filled with trust in God’s loving plan.
Prayers: Our Father, 3 Hail Mary’s, Glory Be
Reflection:
It can be very
difficult and painful when the Lord doesn’t answer our prayers in the way we
hope. A couple that finds themselves unable to bring a child into the world
through their loving union can experience this disappointment very deeply.
During such times of trial, we may wonder why we face the particular challenges
that we do. Yet even though suffering is often shrouded in a sense of mystery,
we believe that the Lord loves us with great tenderness and compassion that is
beyond our imagination. Knowing this, we can trust that “all things work for
good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom
8:28).
Acts of Reparation (Choose one.)
·
Smile.
Ask God today for the grace to be extra joyful and share Christ’s love with
those who need encouragement the most today.
· Offer the Prayer for Those Hoping to Conceive or Adopt a Child, and spend some time reflecting on the accompanying excerpt from Psalm 145.
·
Offer
some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for
today’s intention.
According
to the almanac today we are having a Full Wolf Moon; plan to get with your
children or grandchildren around a fire and howl a little at the moon having
fun together. Also, you could sit down together and listen to the music from Peter and the Wolf. As a child this was
one of my favorite record albums that I would make my mother play over and over
again much to her distress.
Daily Devotions
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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