Ubi Petrus

I get a chuckle when I see St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica and realize it was originally intended as introductory material before students would take his class.  To say the world has changed some since then would be a drastic understatement.  The breadth and depth of the works of the Angelic Doctor are, I would argue, unsurpassed in Christendom.  Many have heard the proclamation St. Albert the Great made of this Doctor of the Church early on in his life: “We call this young man a dumb ox, but his bellowing in doctrine will one day resound throughout the world.”  (As an aside, this should provide comfort to all those chided by classmates for being different – St. Thomas was quite different, but in a way that came to bring great glory to God.)

Yet, for me, the quote from his life that most resounds is one that comes near the end of that most distinguished life.  After being granted a mystical vision while celebrating Holy Mass, Thomas demurred from picking up writing again saying:  “The end of all my labors has come. All that I have written appears to me as much straw after the things that have been revealed to me.”  For a man who created such masterful works, who opened to the world such a deep understanding of God and His workings, to have said such about his entire corpus of works after seeing what awaits us …  It gives great hope even in days that are as dreary and in many ways as intellectually dark as those in which we now live.  I hope one day to contribute even just one slender sliver of straw in comparison to the great works of this man of God.

St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of Catholic universities, pray for our educators that they may ever be strengthened to provide truly Catholic education.  Patron of students, pray for those in studies that their work may bless them with deeper understanding of the glories of You and Your creation.  Patron of (and this is a new one to me) chastity, pray for those tempted in any way by the great Enemy of souls to sway from the path of chastity and purity that they may always remember their bodies and minds are a temple for the Lord.

In honor of my good plurk friend Adoro I offer this hymn penned by St. Thomas himself:

And my own personal favorite of his creations, which ought to take those of us from the US back to some very happy days:

With a H/T to CMR, this looks like it might well be just the kind of project parishes need to rekindle the fire in the hearts of their parishioners.  Fr. Barron has a unique ability to express his love of the faith in a way that makes it not only captivating but exciting.

Verbum Domini is offered to us based largely on the results of the recent Synod on the Bible.  You can find the full text here – in PDF no less.  Curt Jester has made the Exhortation available in two eBook formats for those of us blessed to own eBook readers.  A quick synopsis from Rome Reports:

“One of the practical consequences of the introduction of the changes is that we will have to slow down.  We will have to slow down in order to allow the sense of these texts to be perceived by those who are hearing them proclaimed.” — Msgr. Andrew R. Wadsworth on the new Mass translation

While those who are already leaning for the exits by the time they sit in the pews this will be most unwelcome.  For the rest, however, perhaps this slowing down will be a welcome respite from a world spinning ever faster and indeed a reminder that what happens at Mass is a time unto itself, a reminder that no matter how pressing are things outside the walls of the church nothing is more important than what happens here.

Ripped without apology from a Facebook post by Aristotle:

First,  Cardinal-designate Burke on the Catholic duty in voting:

Second, a bit of an energizer in what can be a wearying election cycle:

Recently Fr. Mitch Pacwa had Colin Donovan and Helen Hull Hitchcock on his EWTN Live show talking about the new translation of the Roman Missal.  One thing that never ceases to amaze me as I continue to learn about the new translation is the number of valid reasons for some of the specific changes were made – it is never just “this is a more literal translation”, rather there are always theological implications for the changes.

The connection he draws in this video is, I found, quite interesting.  If anything though, I wish I could bottle the last few seconds of the video and inject it into Catholics the world over.  The study is not a cause for drowning our sorrows but for getting out our oars and rowing harder, faster and more consistently!

Not all that recently Fr. Daren Zehnle shared a piece he included in his parish bulletin; I’d like to look right at the middle of it again:

On Saturday, October 16th, the Office for Vocations is sponsoring a “Thinking of Priesthood Day” to help young men (juniors in high school or older) consider whether or not the Lord is calling them to priestly service. As of this Tuesday evening, 35 invitations have been sent to young men across the Diocese who have either voiced interest in the priesthood themselves or who have been recommend by others; I submitted three of the names and will soon send in another.

At a recent meeting of the Region 12 Planning Committee, one of the members said, “The Church needs to do more about vocations.” I responded quickly and passionately with the same questions I recently posed to you in one of my homilies: When was the last time you fervently begged the Lord for more priests? When was the last time you actively encouraged a young man to think about the priesthood? How many future priests have been contracepted, aborted or actively discouraged over the past forty years? Priests do not simply fall out of heaven; they arise from within families of faith.

The Church is doing what she can to encourage young men to answer the Lord’s call with generosity and courage; we know with certainty that the Lord has not stopped calling men to his service. It is, rather, that those who are being called are not answering his call, often times because of a perceived lack of support from their families and friends. What have you done for vocations lately? The Knights of Columbus are right: Vocations are everybody’s business.

From my own experience I ask, when was the last time you heard a homily extolling the wonders of the priestly vocation?  When was the last time you heard an adult tell a youth they should consider the priesthood or religious life?  People will not go if they are not asked. We do not need to ask God for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life for He is already supplying a superabundance of vocations – no, we need to ask for an increase in the gift of spiritual discernment and courage for those who have been called.  I know my wife and I have been very clear with my son on this matter, even at his young age, that he ought to be fully open to the priesthood or religious life if God has called him that way, and so as well with our daughter should she be called to religious life.  Time it is indeed to expand that to other young men and women we know.