28 Jan – Memorial for St. Thomas Aquinas, priest, religious, doctor
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was the son of the Count of Aquino, and was born in the family castle of Lombardy near Naples. He was educated by Benedictine monks at Monte Cassino, and at the University of Naples. He secretly joined the mendicant Dominican friars in 1244. His noble family kidnapped and imprisoned him for a year to keep him out of sight and to deprogramme him, but he rejoined the order in 1245.
He studied in Paris from 1245-1248 under St. Albert the Great, then accompanied Albertus to Cologne. He was ordained in 1250, then returned to Paris to teach. He taught theology at the University of Paris, and wrote defenses of the mendicant orders, commentaries on Aristotle and Lombard’s Sentences, and some bible-related works, usually by dictating to secretaries. He won his doctorate, and taught in several Italian cities. He was recalled by the king and the university to Paris in 1269, then recalled to Naples in 1272 where he was appointed regent of studies while working on the Summa Theologica.
On Dec 6, 1273, he experienced a divine revelation which so enraptured him that he abandoned the Summa, saying that it and his other writings were so much straw in the wind compared to the reality of the divine glory. He died four months later while en route to the Council of Lyons, overweight an with his health broken by overwork.
His works have been seminal to the thinking of the Church ever since. They systemized her great thoughts and teaching, and combined Greek wisdom and scholarship methods with the truth of Christianity. Pope Leo VIII commanded that his teachings be studied by all theology students. He was proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1567.
- Patron Saint Index
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2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10
All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron. “Look,” they said, “we are your own flesh and blood. In days past when Saul was our king, it was you who led Israel in all their exploits; and the Lord said to you, ‘You are the man who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you shall be the leader of Israel.’” So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a pact with them at Hebron in the presence of the Lord, and they anointed David king of Israel.
David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years. He reigned in Hebron over Judah for seven years and six months; then he reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.
David and his men marched on Jerusalem against the Jebusites living there. These said to David, “You will not get in here. The blind and the lame will hold you off.” (That is to say: David will never get in here.) But David captured the fortress of Zion, that is, the Citadel of David.
He grew greater and greater, and the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
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Mark 3:22-30
The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “Beelzebul is in him” and, “It is through the prince of devils that he casts devils out.” So Jesus called them to him and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never stand. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot stand either – it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man’s house and burgle his property unless he has tied up the strong man first. Only then can he burgle his house.
“I tell you solemnly, all men’s sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.” This was because they were saying, “An unclean spirit is in him.”
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I’ve just finished reading a book called “When Ministry Is Messy” by Richard C. Brown, Ph.D, and I wonder why such a book is not made known to all Christians who are in ministry. In this book, the author speaks of the three reasons why conflicts in ministry take place – natural personality differences, emotional illness, and sin. And he put forward three ways in which we can resolve or prevent ministry conflict – servanthood (putting the needs of the others above your own); logic (using reason to find out the truth); and loving forgiveness (to resolve hurts).
In today’s readings, we see Jesus dealing precisely with that – conflict in ministry. In his case, the ministry concerned is that of preaching. Jesus’ response in this case was one that used logic, or reason. Using simple reasoning, he showed his accusers that what they were claiming about him was untrue, simply because it didn’t make sense when put to the test.
In the first reading, we see that David’s enemies, the Jebusites, considered their position impregnable, so much so that even cripples could defend it. This pride that the Jebusites had was another area in which conflict in ministry occurs, and it falls under the category of sin. In both cases, logic can be used to address the problem, but the sin of pride also causes the problem of hardness of heart, which Jesus was to point out in another passage in the gospels. This is where logic fails, because in the face of hardness of heart, nothing can be done to help the person see the truth.
This then is the unforgivable sin that Jesus speaks of, for the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth. A person who denies the truth even in the face of rationality is one who acts irrationally. We see this taking place frequently in our ministries, don’t we? Sometimes we hear others (or ourselves) give irrational reasons such as: “This is the right way, because I’m a priest and I say so” or “Do this my way, because I’ve been around far longer than you have”.
It is here that we must apply Jesus’ own solutions to ministry conflict, most importantly, the first thing he said when he was crucified: Forgive them for they know not what they do. Indeed that is all we can do, even as we are being crucified – to pray to our Lord and ask forgiveness for others on their behalf, and to ask the Lord to give them a change of heart.
Take some time to reflect on the people in your ministry who have cause you hurt and whose behaviour have resulted in conflicts in your ministry, and ask the Lord to forgive them.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, I pray for those who have caused me hurt in my ministry, and I ask you to forgive them for they know not what they do. Help them to have a change of heart, and that they may repent and receive your reign in their hearts. Amen.
Give Thanks to the Lord for: A wonderful present.
Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 30 Jan – 2 Samuel 7:4-17; Mark 4:1-20
Thu, 31 Jan – 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29; Mark 4:21-25; Memorial for St. John Bosco, priest, religious founder
Fri, 01 Feb – 2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17; Mark 4:26-34
Sat, 02 Feb – Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40; Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Sun, 03 Feb – Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a; Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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