The Simplicity of St. Thomas Aquinas

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest & Doctor of the Church

An altarpiece in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, by Carlo Crivelli (15th century)

One evening, this past Summer, my son sat down next to me and told me who he wanted his confirmation saint to be, he liked the saint’s nickname, and appreciated this saint’s approach to the faith, his mind and ability to communicate it to others.

“St. Thomas Aquinas! The Dumb Ox!! People thought he was dumb but he is anything but!” he beamed from ear to ear.

A lot could be said about St. Thomas Aquinas. He was a 13th century priest who had to escape the imprisonment of his own family when they threw him in their dungeon after trying to join the Dominican order. When he started his education his peers thought him too simple to even speak, so the nickname “Dumb Ox” was born. He is a Doctor of the Church, declared by Pope Pius V in 1567, and he has the special distinction of being a Universal Doctor because his teachings have influenced all areas of Catholic doctrine.

There is nothing simple about this man, or so I thought.

Yet there is one story I’d like to share. A biographer relates that the saint was praying one morning before the crucifix, shortly after he finished his the section in the Summa Theologiae, his great compilation of the Church’s teachings, on the Eucharist and transubstantiation. He brought his work before the Lord, in prayer and offering. Jesus spoke to him saying, “You have written well of Me, Thomas, what shall be your reward?” Thomas replied, “Non nisi te, Domine”

“Nothing but You, Lord.”

It’s perhaps my favorite story of this saint, for the reason that it is so simple. For all his intellect, for all the accolades, for all the good he did for the Church and the responsibilities given him, all of it, and he made the simple choice. Christ. He brought before the Lord his work and all he asked in return was Christ Himself, loosely holding onto his written works to the point that he called them nothing but straw.

It’s a lesson we can all take to heart, today and everyday. No matter what skills and gifts the Lord has granted us in this life, great skill or only a little, great intelligence and wisdom, or only a little. We should bring before the Lord all we have, each and everyday, lightly holding onto what we have in hand, and then choose Jesus above all else.

It’s so simple.

I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
And deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
Because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
And I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.

Now God grant I speak suitably
and value these endowments at their worth:
For he is the guide of Wisdom
and the director of the wise.
For both we and our words are in his hand,
as well as all prudence and knowledge of crafts.

Wisdom 7:7-10, 15-16