January 28
Peace be with you! Today we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Thomas Aquinas in the life of the Church. Why do we remember Thomas today? Thomas Aquinas was a 13th century Italian theologian and priest who asked many questions about God—so many questions that he became a Doctor of the Church. Thomas wrote more than two million words about God in his book, Summa Theologica. He believed that pursuing the wisdom of God was the most important work of human existence. Thomas Aquinas writes, “Of all human pursuits, the pursuit of wisdom is the most perfect, the most sublime, the most useful, and the most agreeable” because “the pursuit of wisdom especially joins man to God in friendship.”
In this Sunday’s Epistle reading from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul describes Christ as “the power of God and the wisdom of God”. Many saints and mystics from our Christian tradition have pursued the wisdom of Christ and have been given divine glimpses into the majesty of our Trinitarian God. Thomas Aquinas had such an encounter—he experienced the power and wisdom of Christ one time when he was celebrating Holy Communion. Afterward, Thomas was in a daze for three days. He told his friend that the answers to his biggest questions about God were beyond words, explaining that what he had written about God was “like straw” to what had been revealed to him. From that point on Thomas decided to stop writing. His brief glimpse of the power and glory of Christ changed him forever. For the rest of his life, Thomas’ only desire was to be close to Christ and walk humbly with God.
I am thankful for the life of Thomas Aquinas and other saints who inspire us to pursue the wisdom of Christ above all else. I encourage parents to talk with your children about the lives of the saints when you’re driving in the car or sitting down for a family meal together. My children’s chapel experience of sharing Godly Play stories has taught me that young children are ready to learn and are hungry to know God. Thomas Aquinas was only 5 years old when he began to pursue the wisdom of Christ at the Benedictine monastery in Monte Cassino, Italy.
I invite families to consider joining our Family Lenten Lunch on Sunday, March 1, 11:30-12:30pm. We’ll enjoy lunch and a Godly Play Story about the life of Jesus as we begin to journey through the season of Lent toward the Mystery of Easter. Our Godly Play Consultant, the Rev. Cynthia Insko, will be our storyteller for this event and will ask our children to help tell the story of Jesus. Nursery care will be available. Register your family HERE to join our Lenten Lunch!