Presentation for the 2019 Aquinas Symposium in Auckland.

1. St. Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274)
Who is he and
why is his thought relevant fortoday?

2. Invading Ideologies Today

3. Religion & Science

4. St. John Paul II
Fides et Ratio 1998
"Thomas recognized that nature, philosophy's proper
concern, could contribute to the understanding of
divine Revelation. Faith therefore has no fear of
reason, but seeks it out and has trust in it. Just as grace
builds on nature and brings it to fulfilment, so faith
builds upon and perfects reason.

5. Aquinas: The Man
 Born in 1224 at Roccasecca, midway between Rome and Naples

6. Aquinas: The Boy
 At the age of five, he was entered at the Benedictine
monastery of Monte Cassino where his studies began.

7. Aquinas: The Uni Student (1239-44)
 When the monastery became a battle site, Thomas was transferred
over to the University of Naples.

8. Fish Friar and Chip Monk!
 Aquinas’ Vocation
Monk Friar Parish Priest

9. Aquinas: The Dominican Friar
 Thomas becomes a Dominican b/w 1240 and 1243 over the protests of
his family

10. Aquinas: The Student
 Thomas studies for the
priesthood first in Paris
(1245-48) and then at
Cologne, Germany
(1248-52)

11. What was taught?
 Classical Liberal Arts Education
 TRIVIUM (GRAMMAR, LOGIC AND RHETORIC)
 QUADRIVIUM
 Arithmetic
 Geometry
 Music
 Astronomy
 Practical Arts
 Medicine, Law, Architecture, etc.
 Theoretical Arts
 Philosophy
 Theology

12. St. Albert the Great
(1200-1280)

13. Aquinas: Ordained Priest
 During his time in
Cologne, probably in
1250, he was ordained
a priest by the
Archbishop of Cologne.

14. Aquinas: Teacher & Lecturer
 1251- Begins to teach
Dominican students in
Paris
 In 1257, he was
awarded a Doctorate in
Theology , now allowing
him to teach in the
universities.

15. Aquinas: The Writer
 Composed over 60 works, some very lengthy.
 Works on Scripture, Ethics, Metaphysics,
Economics, Politics, Law & Theology

16. Catena Aurea
St. Thomas Aquinas' Catena
Aurea is the masterpiece
anthology of Patristic
commentary on the Gospels
and includes the work of over
eighty Church Fathers.

17. The Summa Theologiae

18. 3 fold structure of the
Summa
Pt 1: God and
Creation
Pt 3:
Christ
Pt 2:
Morality

21. Angels (Intellectual
Spirits)
Humans
Animals
Plants
Non-living matter

22. Virtue Ethics

23. Principle of double effect
1. that the action in itself from its very
object is good or at least indifferent
(morally neutral);
2. that the good effect and not the evil
effect be intended;
3. that the good effect is not produced
by means of the bad effect;
4. that there is a proportionately grave
reason for permitting the evil effect
(good effect outweighs the bad effect)

24. Incarnation and Eucharist
• The incarnation is when the second divine person of the
Holy Trinity took to Himself a human nature. Thus, the
acts of a human nature (i.e. eating, sleeping, dying) can
now be ascribed to the divine personhood of Jesus.
• Aquinas adopts transubstantiation to argue that the
substance of the bread and wine change while their
accidents (i.e outward sensible appearances) remain the
same.
• The Eucharist is, as it were, "the consummation of the
spiritual life, and the end of all the sacraments" (Summa,
III, 73, 3, c.).
• The reason for this, St Thomas explains, lies in the fact
that whereas the energy — "vis" or "virtus" — of the
Passion of Christ is active in the other sacraments, the
Eucharist contains "Christ's own Body"

25. Corpus Christi
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the liturgy for Corpus Christi when Pope Urban
IV added the Solemnity to the universal Church's liturgical calendar.
St. Thomas also wrote a hymn for Vespers: Pange Lingua (Sing, tongue,
the mystery of the glorious Body), from which we have the Tantum
Ergo (Down in Adoration Falling) verses sung at Benediction.
Finally, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote a hymn of Eucharistic thanksgiving,
Adore Te Devote (Devoutly I Adore Thee), which in the translation by
the Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins expresses the mystery and
wonder of our reception of Jesus in Holy Communion

26. Mystical Experiences

27. Dying act of faith
If in this world there be any knowledge of this
sacrament stronger than that of faith, I wish now
to use it in affirming that I firmly believe and know
as certain that Jesus Christ, True God and True
Man, Son of God and Son of the Virgin Mary, is in
this Sacrament . . . I receive Thee, the price of my
redemption, for Whose love I have watched,
studied, and laboured. Thee have I preached;
Thee have I taught. Never have I said anything
against Thee: if anything was not well said, that is
to be attributed to my ignorance. Neither do I
wish to be obstinate in my opinions, but if I have
written anything erroneous concerning this
sacrament or other matters, I submit all to the
judgment and correction of the Holy Roman
Church, in whose obedience I now pass from this
life.

28. St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for
us.