When Sister Catherine Rose asked me to give this reflection, I just looked at her. She said, "Jean, give it some thought." This made me think of how much Thomas Aquinas has meant to me throughout my many years of teaching and administration and part of my name is shared and my feast day is his feast day. Maybe Saint Thomas had something to do with the fact that nine years ago, I was called back to these halls where I first met him and in which I met teachers who inspired me and made me think.
Why do I hold him in such esteem? I began to read about his life to refresh my memory, and I came up with the following reasons:
- He is one of the great liberators of the human intellect
- He reconciled religion with reason
- He insisted that the senses were the windows of the soul and that reason had a divine right to feed upon facts
- It was the business of faith to digest the strong meat of the toughest and most practical of pagan philosophies
- He maintained that reason could support faith and
- He said that governments must not violate human rights and much more.
Is it any wonder that he is the patron of schools and universities? The fact that Thomism is the philosophy of common sense is itself a matter of common sense, and if there is anything I have appreciated all my life, it is a person who has common sense.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church, was born in 1225. He was the son of a noble family, who placed him under the care of the Benedictines at Monte Casino when he was five years old. When he came of age, despite the protests of his family, he joined the Order of Saint Dominic. Some members of his family resorted to all means to break his constancy, but he persevered. The Order sent him to Cologne where he studied under a German theologian who was one of the Church's greatest intellects. This was St. Albert the Great, the first and greatest of the natural scientists with a reputation for expertise in biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, geography, metaphysics and math. He was also very learned in biblical studies and theology.
Thomas was a silent, thoughtful youth whose genius Albert recognized and whose greatness he foretold. However, because of his great size and great humility, this silent, thoughtful youth was referred to as a dumb ox by his peers. After his brilliant defense of a complex thesis, his teacher exclaimed, "You call this man a dumb ox, but this bellowing in doctrine will someday resound throughout the world." As his fame grew, his life became increasingly hectic. He was simultaneously praying, preaching, teaching, and writing his famous work, The Summa Theologica. It was during this period that his busy life caught up with him. He began to have mystical experiences. After one of these experiences, he stopped writing and said that all he had written seemed like straw compared to what he had seen.
Both he and Albert were to be present at the Council of Lyons in 1274. However, as he was proceeding to the Council, Thomas became very ill and died at the age of 49. The announcement of the death of Thomas was a heavy blow to Albert, and he declared that "The Light of the Church" had been extinguished. It was but natural he should have grown to love his distinguished, saintly pupil. It is said that, ever afterward, he could not restrain his tears whenever Thomas's name was mentioned.
Such is the bond that exists between teachers and students. Teachers work with young minds and like Albert did with Thomas, and there may come a day when you realize that the student has far surpassed the teacher. Think of those teachers who have taught you. What is it that makes you remember them? Have you ever taken the opportunity to tell them this? Was it their influence that made you choose this profession?
You teach emerging adults and watch them grow. You plant the seed. Some ground is very fertile, and some needs fertilizer. You are the last bastion against darkness and ignorance. They need your experience, your energy, and your dedication. What greater joy can a teacher feel than witnessing a child's success? It is something that cannot be bought.
In this school of faith and learning, I witness the sacrifices you make every day to help those who are lagging behind and to encourage each other to help build Community. Even the newest teacher quickly realizes that sometimes this structure is the only structure, the only safety, the only security, and the only sanity that some students experience in a day.
I will end by reading something that has always made a great deal of sense to me—common sense. God sends each person into this world with a special message to deliver, a special song to sing to others, and a special act of love to bestow. No one else can speak your message, sing your song, or offer your act of love.
YOU ARE SPECIAL!
Sr. Jean Thomas McHenry, OP (d. 2021) offered this reflection for the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas on January 30, 2006. We thank Sr. Catherine Rose Quigley for saving and sharing these remarks at Mass today.