The Angelic Doctor

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divine revelation, enlightenment, limits, philosopher, reason, St. Thomas Aquinas, surrender, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, The Summa Theologiae, theologian, visionary

St. Thomas Aquinas is “by universal consent…the preeminent spokesman of the  Catholic tradition of reason and of divine revelation. He is one of the great teachers of the medieval Catholic Church, honored with the titles Doctor of the Church and Angelic Doctor.” (http://www.americancatholic.org) Thus begins a brief but interesting biography of the saint whose feast the Catholic Church celebrates today. The less well-known but, in my opinion, most important feature of his history is the last paragraph of today’s narrative. Even though Thomas was a brilliant philosopher and theologian, he came to realize the limits of what we humans can know or understand by reason. Here is the conclusion of the text:

“The Summa Theologiae, his last and, unfortunately, uncompleted work, deals with the whole of Catholic theology. He stopped work on it after celebrating Mass on December 6, 1273. When asked why he stopped writing, he replied, ‘I cannot go on…All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.’ He died March 7, 1274.”

Blessed be those who come to the enlightenment that is far beyond anything we can ask or imagine! Blessed also those who surrender everything in bowing to that gift.

Wisdom Seekers

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Book of Hours, God speaks to each of us, life, limits, longing, Rainer Maria Rilke, retreat, seriousness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Wisdom tradition fo Christianity

Today we are blessed by the presence of a group of people here at our center/home who have come to experience in a weekend a taste of what we have to offer of the Wisdom tradition of Christianity. I go in a few minutes to morning prayer at 7:00am where in silence we seek the God who calls us all. A page from Rilke’s Book of Hours fairly shouts an invitation to this brief encounter that will lead us into a day of exploration of spiritual practice. He writes the following message for us, I think, for today.

God speaks to each of us as he makes us, then walks with us silently out of the night. These are the words we dimly hear: “You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me. Flare up like flame and make big shadows I can move in. Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don’t let yourself lose me. Nearby is the country they call life. You will know it by its seriousness. Give me your hand.”

The Narrow Gate

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attention, choices, courageous actions, deep love, Do to others whatever you would have them do to you, Jesus, limits, Matthew, the narrow gate, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel

When I’m packing up for a trip, if I’m driving rather than going by plane, I often have several extraneous items in addition to a suitcase. It becomes sort of a game to see if I can carry everything to the car at once rather than making numerous trips. There have been occasions where maneuvering the suitcase as well as bags slung over my wrists and keys in my hand cause me to go sideways through the door of the house. Sometimes I have to admit defeat and leave something behind to retrieve when I have opened the car doors and come back for more. I thought of this today when I read the never-ending, amazing sermon that continues to deliver one-liners that are not to be ignored. This one is actually two verses long (MT 7:12-14) but worth consideration nonetheless. Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

We have lots of choices in life. Sometimes I wish there were fewer – or even just one – so it would be easier to know what to do. I think of the two possibilities of travel to Hallelujah Farm in New Hampshire where some of our Wisdom Schools are held. While the New York State Thruway, the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate Route 91 is a speedier and wider route to take than Routes 7 & 9 through Vermont, I always choose the latter if I’m driving. Less traffic and more beauty are the criteria that I choose – even though if I get behind a truck on the two-lane road it necessitates patience. Limits call for attention – in travel and in life. Narrow roads, courageous actions, deep love…all take us out of monotony and the ordinary in our days, slowing us down to more mindful opportunities for response.

Oh, and the other line this morning is just one line, pertinent here for sure: Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. (MT 7:6) Safe travels, everyone.