QUOTATION: Contemplation

As it is better to give than to receive, so it is better to share the fruit of one’s contemplation than merely to contemplate.

--St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica,  

QUOTATION: Reason

To disparage the dictate of reason is equivalent to contemning the command of God.

--St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica 1a-2ae, xix. 5, ad 2

QUOTATION: Evil

Pain and sadness are not the greatest evil; worse is judging evil to be good and not rejecting it.

-- St. Thomas Aquinas

QUOTATION: Accepting Church Teaching

He who does not embrace the teaching of the Church does not have the habit of faith.

--St. Thomas Aquinas

QUOTATION: Justice and Mercy

Justice without mercy is cruelty. Mercy without justice is the mother of all dissolution.

--St. Thomas Aquinas

QUOTATION: Love

Lord, in my zeal for the love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love.

--St. Thomas Aquinas

QUOTATION: Contemplation

For even as it is better to enlighten than merely to shine, so is it better to give to others the fruits of one's contemplation than merely to contemplate.

--St. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica, II-II, Q. 188, A. 6.

QUOTATION: Goodness

Goodness is rightly divided into the virtuous, the useful and the pleasant.

--St. Thomas Aquinas

QUOTATION: Preaching

When the malice of wicked men increases, and converts are abused with insults, preaching, far from being curtailed, should be increased.

--St. Thomas Aquinas

QUOTATION: Judgement Day

All, past, present, and future will be judged: thus the Apostle says: We must all be manifested before the judgement-seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the proper things of the body according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil. Of the wicked, some will be condemned, but not be judged: namely unbelievers whose works will not be discussed, since He that believeth not is already judged. Some will be both condemned and judged, namely the faithful who die in mortal sin: The wages of sin is death, because on account of the faith which they had they will not be excluded from the judgement. Of the good, some will be saved and will not be judged, namely those who for God’s sake are poor in spirit; indeed, they will judge others: You who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel, which is to be referred not only to the disciples, but also to all the poor; otherwise Paul who labored more than the others would not be of their number: and consequently we must understand these words refer to all who follow the Apostles, and of men with an apostolic spirit. Hence the Apostle says: know ye not that we shall judge the angels? – The Lord will enter into judgement with the ancients of his people and its princes. Some, however, will be both saved and judged, those, namely, who die in the state of righteousness: since although they died righteous, yet through being occupied with temporal matters they fell somewhat, and therefore they will be judged, yet saved; in fact, they will be judged concerning all their works both good and bad: Walk in the ways of thy heart…and know that for all these God will bring thee into judgement. All things that are done God will bring into judgement for every error, whether it be good or evil.

--St. Thomas Aquinas, Exposition of the Apostles’ Creed

QUOTATION: Free Will

It is erroneous to say that human acts and events escape God's fore-knowledge and ordination. It is no less erroneous to say that God's fore-knowledge and ordination imposes necessity on human acts; otherwise free will would be removed, as well as the value of taking counsel, the usefulness of laws, the care to do what is right and the justice of rewards and punishments.

--St. Thomas Aquinas, De Rationibus Fidei ad cantorem Antiochenum, 10

QUOTATION: Hell

Concerning the inquiry whether hell is at or near the centre of the earth, my opinion is that nothing should be rashly asserted, not least because Augustine reckoned that nobody knows where hell is. The lower regions can mean whatever is meant by the term “inferior”. . . For myself I do not believe that man can know the position of hell.

--St. Thomas Aquinas, Declaratio xxxvi Quaestionum ad Lectorem Venetum, 24, 25.

QUOTATION: Don't Be a Killjoy

It is against reason for a man to be burdensome to others, by offering no pleasure to others, and by hindering their enjoyment. Wherefore Seneca says (De Quat. Virt., cap. De Continentia): "Let your conduct be guided by wisdom so that no one will think you rude, or despise you as a cad." Now a man who is without mirth, not only is lacking in playful speech, but is also burdensome to others, since he is deaf to the moderate mirth of others. Consequently they are vicious, and are said to be boorish or rude, as the Philosopher states (Ethic. iv, 8).

--St. Thomas Aquinas

QUOTATION: The Virtue of Eutrapelia

There can be a virtue about games. The Philosopher gives it the name of wittiness (eutrapelia), and a man is said to be pleasant through having a happy turn of mind, whereby he gives his words and deeds a cheerful turn: and inasmuch as this virtue restrains a man from immoderate fun, it is comprised under modesty.

--St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica

QUOTATION: The Gospels and Christ's Twofold Nature

In Christ a twofold nature is to be considered, a divine, and the Gospel of John is chiefly concerned with this, hence he begins, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' And a human, and the other Gospels treat chiefly of this, and they are distinguished according to the threefold dignity that belongs to the man Christ. With respect to his royal honour, Matthew speaks. Hence in the beginning of his Gospel, he shows that Christ descended from kings and was adored by the Magi kings. With respect to his prophetic honour, Mark speaks, hence he begins with the preaching of the Gospel. With respect to his priestly dignity, Luke speaks, and he begins with the temple and the priesthood and ends his Gospel in the temple, and frequently returns to the temple, as the Gloss says about Luke chapter 2.46: 'and they found him sitting in the temple in the midst of the teachers.' 

--St. Thomas Aquinas, The Inaugural Sermons in Thomas Aquinas, Selected Writings, Penguin.

QUOTATION: Four Prophets to Four Evangelists

Isaiah chiefly foretells the mystery of the Incarnation, which is why he is read during the time of Advent by the Church, and Jeremiah the mystery of the Passion, hence he is read in Passiontide, and Ezekiel the mystery of the Resurrection, hence his book finishes with the raising of the bones and the repair of the temple. Daniel, however, is included among the prophets insofar as he predicted future events in a prophetic spirit; although he did not speak to the people in the person of the Lord, he dealt with the divinity of Christ. Thus the four prophets answer to the four Evangelists, and also to the call to judgement.

--St. Thomas Aquinas, The Inaugural Sermons in Thomas Aquinas, Selected Writings, Penguin.

QUOTATION: Dead to the World

It is a sign that a soul is dead to the world when a soul is despised by the world.

--St. Thomas Aquinas

QUOTATION: Idolatry

Those who believe more in their own pleasures than in the precepts of God, worship themselves as gods.

--St. Thomas Aquinas

QUOTATION: Faith and Reason

It is philosophically impossible for divine faith to profess what the reason must regard as false; not even divine omnipotence can make this otherwise.

--St. Thomas Aquinas, On the Unity of the Intellect

QUOTATION: Chastity

Christ so loved chastity that he wished to be born of a virgin.

--St. Thomas Aquinas