St. Thomas Aquinas - Quotes from

[Shin]

'Through the sin of our first parents, all the powers of the soul are left destitute of their proper order, whereby they are naturally directed to virtue. This destitution is called a wounding of nature.

First, in so far as the reason, where prudence resides, is deprived of its order to the true, there is the wound of ignorance.

Second, in so far as the will is deprived of its order to the good, there is the wound of malice.

Third, in so far as the sensitive appetite is deprived of its order to the arduous, there is the wound of weakness.

Fourth, in so far as it is deprived of its order to the delectable moderated by reason, there is the wound of concupiscence.

These four wounds, ignorance, malice, weakness and concupiscence are afflicted on the whole of human nature only as a result of our first parents’ sin. But since the inclination to the good of virtue is diminished in each individual on account of actual sin, these four wounds are also the result of other sins, in so far as, through sin, the reason is obscured, especially in practical matters, the will hardened to evil, good actions become more difficult, and concupiscence more impetuous.'

'Without sanctifying grace it is not possible to refrain long from mortal sin.'

'Shun useless conversation. We lose by it both time and the spirit of devotion.'

'God never so abandons His Church that worthy servants of the altar in sufficient numbers are not to be found, if only the worthy are ordained and the unworthy debarred from ordination.'

'Some say that fraternal correction does not extend to the prelates either because man should not raise his voice against heaven, or because the prelates are easily scandalized if corrected by their subjects. However, this does not happen, since when they sin, the prelates do not represent heaven, and, therefore, must be corrected. And those who correct them charitably do not raise their voices against them, but in their favour, since the admonishment is for their own sake.'

'Everyone -- past, present, and future -- will be judged. Now, then, is the time for mercy, while the time to come will be the time for justice only. For that reason, the present time is ours, but the future time will be God’s only!'

'The prayerless soul makes no progress whatever.'

'. . . because without charity nothing can be acceptable to God, nor does anything profit unto eternal life in the absence of charity. Now it happens that certain persons persevere in works of mercy without having charity. Wherefore nothing profits them to the meriting of eternal life, or to exemption from eternal punishment, as may be gathered from 1 Corinthians 13:3. Most evident is this in the case of those who lay hands on other people’s property, for after seizing on many things, they nevertheless spend something in works of mercy.'

'The greater the charity of the saints, in their heavenly home, the more they intercede for those who are still on their journey and the more they can help them by their prayers; the more they are united with God, the more effective those prayers are. This is in accordance with divine order, which makes higher things react upon lower things, like the brightnees of the sun filling the atmosphere.'

'Where there is cleanness there is understanding.'

'In raising human nature to heaven by His ascension, Christ has given us the hope of arriving thither ourselves.'

'Preserve purity of conscience with care, and never do anything to sully it or render it less agreeable to God.'

'In recalling to mind the life and actions of the saints, walk in their footsteps as much as possible, and humble thyself if thou canst not attain to their perfection.'

[Patricia]

On humility

Whatever we are able to do He gave us the power to do when He created us.

Seek praises from God alone.

Humility orders us in relations to God; Justice regulates us in regards to our neighbors; and Purity with regard to ourselves.

The Devil takes away the seed of good works, at the same time that he makes men to glory in them.

Man has to believe others in matters that he cannot know perfectly by himself. Now no one is to be believed as much as God is. Thus, those who will not believe the statements of faith are not wise, but foolish and proud.

If you seek an example of humility, look on the Crucified. Although He was God, He chose to be judged by Pontius Pilate and to suffer death....The Master chose to die for His servant; the Life of the Angels suffered death for man.

Humility is the road to exaltation.

True humility consists not in presuming on our own strength, but in trusting to obtain all things from the power of God.

Of all the signs of a man's knowledge and wisdom, none is proof of greater wisdom than that he does not cling to his own opinion.....For those who cling to their own judgment so as to mistrust others and trust in themselves alone invariably prove themselves fools and are judged as much.

Our Lord will hold to what he promised to the humble, when He will exalt them in the same measure that they had been abased and disclaimed, and to what He promised to the proud, when he will humble them as much as they glorified themselves.


More humility quotes and other quotes from St. Thomas Aquinas coming soon .......   (I got a free book on his quotes when I ordered a bunch of children's books  )

[martin]

St. Thomas and the saints could see things as they are. Must be because they practiced what they preached. Sin obscures everything. Avoiding sin helps one reason and think more clearly.

through sin, the reason is obscured, especially in practical matters, the will hardened to evil, good actions become more difficult, and concupiscence more impetuous.'

[Patricia]

On humility

In dispensing His favors God does not consider men's power, strength, riches, or physical beauty....It is above all people of humble condition who progress in the Church of God and abound in spiritual graces.

God alone in His own goodness and He alone is essentially good. All other creatures are said to be good according as they participate, to some extent, in Him.

See now the aid which God gives a man by His correction, how necessary it is, that you may know that however much you may be corrected by men, if the grace of God is not present and calling within you, that correction is worthless.

It would be of no advantage to ascend in status if a man did not also grow in merit.

In this world a man sometimes obtains earthly goods by contentiousness and deceit, but heavenly riches are obtained by meekness.....Blessed are the meek; for they shall possess the land.

Natural reason tells us that because of the inadequacies we perceive in ourselves we need to subject ourselves to some superior source for help and direction; and whatever that source might be, everybody calls it God.

Nature can't exist without God's activity: it would fall away to nothing unless God's power maintained it in existence, as Augustine makes clear. So nature can't act without God's activity.

More quotes on Humility in the days to follow....

[Shin]

I am looking forwards to them Patricia!

Isn't God's love of humility wonderful?

Heavenly riches obtained by meekness!

[James - a humble servant]

Fr. Joseph Illo's Blog
Homily: St. Thomas Day
Posted: 29 Jan 2014 03:32 PM PST

President McLean and Dean Kelly, College faculty, staff, students, and guests: a joyous and blessed St. Thomas Day to all of you. Our patron was born near Aquino, between Naples and Rome, around 1225. It is now the little town of Rocca Secca, or “dry castle” because Thomas’ ancestral home is now only a desiccated but picturesque ruin perched on the cliffs above town. Once I explored that castle, and gazing out a window of perhaps Thomas’ bedroom, beheld a view of beauty: an azure Mediterranean sea framed by blossoming fruit trees in surrounding orchards and fishing villages.

Thomas was born in Southern Italy, but of Germanic Hohenstaufen blood, and rather than become an abbot of the Benedictine monastery at which he began his education at age five, joined the newly-formed “Spanish” order of Friars Preachers. He began his studies at the University at the time, the University of Paris, the same year Albert the Great began teaching there. Although he taught in Paris for six years, at age 36 he left the Great University and spent the rest of his life wandering as a Friar Preacher, teaching at various Colleges, never more than two or three years in one place. In early 1274, the Pope called him from Naples to the General Council of Lyons in Southern France, but on the way north he became ill and died in the abbey of Fossanova.

A few months before he died, St. Thomas had already given up writing, having produced the most comprehensive integration of faith and reason the world has ever known. He had had a vision after Matins one morning, and later told Reginald, his secretary and traveling companion of many years, “compared to what I have seen, everything I have written seems like so much straw.” And this is why holy mother Church holds up St. Thomas for veneration and imitation: not because he was brilliant, perhaps the most brilliant of all western minds, but because he held his brilliance and all human brilliance in perspective. Certainly St. Thomas labored greatly in his studies and in his teaching, but one gets the sense not only of organic synthesis in his work, but also of humility and balance. My own introduction to St. Thomas came through my father, who told me that among all intellectuals, only Thomas had the humility to see the question first through the eyes of his opponents before presenting his own position. Here was a man who loved his interlocutors, and loving them, understood them.

Wisdom—the integration of faith and reason, of mind and heart—is a far greater good than knowledge, and it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It can only be received by a humble heart and mind, by a person who prays and who pleads for it. So Scripture holds up King Solomon as wise, because he pleaded for wisdom: “Now God grant I speak suitably and value these endowments at their worth: For he is the guide of Wisdom….” St. Thomas excels precisely because he valued his endowments as endowments—gifts received from God—and did not overvalue them. He was smart, and he worked hard, but what is human knowledge compared to God? Only so much straw. Thomas knew he was a “master,” the most excellent teacher the Church has ever seen, and yet he called no man his “Master” but Christ.

Thomas never finished the Summa Theologica, as if to say that whatever we might say of God and his creation is never finished. Our education is lifelong, and will not be finished even on the day of our death. To put human knowledge in such perspective is true wisdom. This is the consolation of philosophy—that always a greater truth and beauty awaits us. Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, what God has prepared for those who love him.

Thomas was canonized because he loved God, and so loved his brethren, and loved all that God created. On behalf of the students, I wish to express our deep gratitude for our beloved tutors, who educate us for love above all. This is what particularly distinguishes Thomas Aquinas College—that, after the example of her Patron, she orients all knowledge toward its proper goal, that of loving God and neighbor. Let us love God as St. Thomas loved him, for love always seeks to know the beloved. Let us love Christ as his Mother loved him, entrusting our minds and hearts to him, our only Master, our only teacher, that we may know, love and serve him in this life, and be eternally happy with him in the next.

[James - a humble servant]

Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness.

May I receive the bread of angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with
humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation. May I receive the sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood, and its reality and power.

Kind God, may I receive the Body of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His
mystical Body and numbered among his members. Loving Father, as on my
earthly pilgrimage I now receive your beloved Son, under the veil of a
sacrament, may I one day see Him Face to face in glory, who lives and reigns
with You for ever. Amen.

~ St. Thomas Aquinas

[James - a humble servant]

"It is by sitting and being quiet that the soul becomes wise and discerning."

~ St. Thomas Aquinas, OP

[Shin]

These are both splendid James! Thank you my friend! 

[James - a humble servant]

Your most welcome !

If you noticed, Both the prayer and the quote are being said before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration.  

Stay tuned, more to come !!!

[James - a humble servant]

[This is a Eucharistic Hymn]

Adoro Te Devote
(Lost, All Lost In Wonder)

Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived:
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.

On the cross thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here thy very manhood steals from human ken:
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call thee Lord and God as he;
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
There be thou the sweetness man was meant to find.

Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican;
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran—
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest for ever with thy glory’s sight. Amen.

~St. Thomas Aquinas

[Shin]

Lost in wonder at the hymn too!

[odhiambo]

If you want a smile or even a chuckle, try and picture, or better still, mime someone "lost in wonder"!

[James - a humble servant]

"Gods grace is like a fire that, when covered with ashes, no longer shines: in a man, grace is thus covered by laziness and human fear."

~ St. Thomas Aquinas

[James - a humble servant]

~ Meaning of the Eucharist ~

Since it was the will of God's only-begotten Son that human beings should share in His Divinity, He assumed our nature in order that by becoming Human He might make humans gods. Moreover, when He took our flesh He dedicated the whole of it's substance to our salvation.

He offered His Body to God the Father on the altar of the cross as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed His blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin.

But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever, He left His Body as food and His Blood as drink for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.

O precious and wonderful banquet, that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness ! Could anything be of more intrinsic value ? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves and goats that was offered, but here Christ Himself, the true God, is set before us as our food. What could be more wonderful that this?

No other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may benefit all.

Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this Sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in His Passion.

It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful that our Lord instituted this Sacrament at the last supper. As He was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with His disciples, He left it as a perpetual Memorial of His Passion.

It was the fulfillment of ancient figures and the greatness of all His miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of His departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.

~ St. Thomas Aquinas

[James - a humble servant]

 “Clearly the person who accepts the Church as an infallible guide will believe whatever the Church teaches”

- St. Thomas Aquinas