• March 7th - St. Thomas Aquinas

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Wed Mar 6 08:00:22 2019
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    March 7th - St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church
    (1225-1274)

    The great Saint Thomas was born of noble parents at Aquino near Naples
    in Italy, in 1225; his century was replete with great names and
    Christian works, yet he dominates it by the power of his thought and
    the perfection of his works. In his childhood he was the provider for
    the poor of the neighborhood during a famine; his father, meeting him
    in a corridor with the food he had succeeded in taking from the
    kitchen, asked him what he had under his cloak; he opened it and fresh
    roses fell on the ground. The nobleman embraced his son and amid his
    tears, gave him permission to follow thereafter all inspirations of
    his charity.

    The young student, like the holy man Job, made a pact with his eyes
    and forbade them to see anything which might favor in his heart any
    desires for a life of ease. At the University of Naples he led a
    retired life of study and prayer, and continued his charities, giving
    all he had which was superfluous. He was recognized already by his
    professors as a genius, but it was Saint Albert the Great who later
    said of his disciple whom some called =E2=80=9Cthe mute ox=E2=80=9D, that = =E2=80=9Csome day
    the lowing of this ox will resound throughout the entire world.=E2=80=9D

    At the age of nineteen he received the Dominican habit at Naples. His
    family opposed this choice, and he was set upon by his brothers on his
    way to Paris. They attempted in vain to remove his holy habit, but he
    was taken in custody and obliged to suffer a two years' captivity i=
    n
    their castle of Rocca Secca. Neither the caresses of his mother and
    sisters, nor the threats and stratagems of his brothers, could shake
    him in his vocation. His older sister was won over by him and
    renounced a brilliant marriage to embrace religious life; later she
    was Abbess of her convent in Capua.

    While Saint Thomas was in confinement at Rocca Secca, his brothers
    endeavored to entrap him into sin, but the attempt only ended in the
    triumph of his purity. Snatching from the hearth a burning coal, the
    Saint drove from his chamber the courtesan whom they had concealed
    there. Then marking a cross upon the wall, he knelt down to pray.
    Immediately, while he was rapt in ecstasy, an Angel girded him with a
    cord, in token of the gift of perpetual chastity which God had given
    him. The pain caused by the girdle was so sharp that Saint Thomas
    uttered a piercing cry, which brought his guards into the room. But he
    never related this grace to anyone save Father Raynald, his confessor,
    a short time before his death. Thus originated the Confraternity of
    the Angelic Warfare, for the preservation of the virtue of chastity.

    Having at length escaped, Saint Thomas went to Cologne to study under
    Blessed Albert the Great, and afterwards was sent with him to Paris,
    where for several years he taught philosophy and theology. The Church
    has ever venerated his numerous writings as a treasure of sacred
    doctrine; in naming him the Angelic Doctor she has indicated that his
    science is more divine than human. The rarest gifts of intellect were
    combined in him with the most tender piety. Prayer, he said, had
    taught him more than study. His singular devotion to the Blessed
    Sacrament shines forth in the Office and hymns which he composed for
    the feast of Corpus Christi. To the words miraculously uttered by a
    crucifix at Naples, =E2=80=9CWell hast thou written concerning Me, Thomas.
    What shall I give thee as a reward?=E2=80=9D he replied, =E2=80=9CNaught sa=
    ve Thyself,
    O Lord.=E2=80=9D Saint Thomas was loved for his unfailing gentleness and hi=
    s
    readiness to lend his services or great lights to all who sought them.
    He died at Fossa Nuova in 1274, on his way to the General Council of
    Lyons, to which Pope Gregory X had summoned him.

    Reflection. The knowledge of God is for all, but hidden treasures are
    reserved for those who have ever followed the Lamb.

    Source: Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on
    Butler's Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea
    (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894).


    Saint Quote:
    He cannot have God for his Father who has not the Church for his Mother.
    --St. Cyprian-3rd Century

    Bible Quote:
    But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave
    thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,
    the pillar and ground of the truth.=C2 (1 Tim. 3:15)


    <><><><>
    Angels Hovering Near

    In daylight or in darkness
    I have no need to fear;
    I know that I'm protected
    By angels hovering near.
    --Bertha Risely


    <><><><>
    A prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas, in hopes of attaining the grace for a
    devout life:

    Grant me, O merciful God, to desire eagerly, to investigate prudently,
    to acknowledge sincerely, and to fulfill perfectly those things that
    are pleasing to Thee, to the praise and glory of Thy holy Name.

    Do Thou, my god, order my life; and grant that I may know what Thou
    wilt have me to do; and give me to fulfill it as is fitting and
    profitable to my soul.

    Grant me, O Lord my God, the grace not to faint either in prosperity
    or adversity, that I be not unduly lifted up by the one, nor unduly
    cast down by the other.=C2 Let me neither rejoice nor grieve at anytime,
    save what wither leads to Thee or leads away from Thee.=C2 Let me not
    desire to please anyone, nor fear to displease anyone save only Thee.

    Let all things that pass away seem vile in my eyes, and let all things
    that are eternal be dear to me.=C2 Let me tire of that joy which is
    without Thee, neither permit me to desire anything that is outside
    Thee.=C2 Let me find joy in the labor that is for Thee; and let all
    repose that is without Thee be tiresome to me.

    Give me, my god, the grace to direct my heart towards Thee, and to
    grieve continuously at my failures, together with a firm purpose of
    amendment.

    O Lord my God, make me obedient without gainsaying, poor without
    despondency, chaste without stain, patient without murmuring, humble
    without pretense, cheerful without dissipation, serious without undue heaviness, active without instability, fearful of Thee without
    objectless, truthful without double-dealing, devoted to good works
    without presumption, ready to correct my neighbor without arrogance,
    and to edify him by word and example, without hypocrisy.

    Give me, Lord God, a watchful heart which shall be distracted from
    Thee by no vain thoughts; give me a generous heart which shall not be
    drawn downward by any unworthy affection; give me an upright which
    shall not be led astray by any perverse intention; give me a stout
    heart which shall not be crushed by any heart; give me a free heart
    which shall not be claimed as its own by any unregulated affection.

    Bestow upon me, O Lord my god, an understanding that knows Thee,
    diligence in seeking Thee, wisdom in finding Thee, a way of life that
    is pleasing to Thee, perseverance that faithfully waits for Thee, and confidence that I shall embrace Thee at the last.=C2 Grant that I may be chastised here by penance, that I may make good use of Thy gifts in
    this life by Thy grace, and that I may partake of Thy joys in the
    glory of heaven: Who livest and reignest God, world without end.
    Amen.
    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)