Subj : March 7th - St. Thomas Aquinas To : All From : rich Date : Wed Mar 06 2019 08:00:22 From: rich 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) .