Measuring Up to One’s Gifts
theophilus January 28th, 2008
Pope John Paul II – Mother Teresa – Padre Pio . . .
Great people who were recognized as such in their own times. They were declared de facto saints long before their deaths – just a matter of waiting until the proper time for their canonization.
Every era has these blessed servants – people embodying Christ so completely that they become living examples of all that we are called to be.
For the people of the 13th Century, that man was St. Thomas Aquinas, whose feast day is today.
Most of us know St. Thomas through the Summa Theologica, which some of us may have read (or pretended to have read) in some theology course or another. This treatise is one of the bedrocks of Catholic theological teaching.
St. Thomas, born of a noble family, joined the Dominican order and was known for his brilliance, humilty and holiness. He was always the smartest guy in the room, but acted as if he was the most simple-minded. There was no room for sin in his life. He gave everything he could materially and in carrying out his priestly and teaching duties.
He developed a entire school of thought that still carries the day in Western philosophy – the ideas of reason and natural law – that faith and reason did not conflict with each other.
He simply was a great man – who was recognized as such in his own time.
Usually, we can look at the saints and draw something from their lives that we can relate to our own. To look at them and proclaim, “I too can be a saint.” With St. Thomas, the opposite is true. 99.99% of us will not approach his intellect, his piety, his purity, his excellence – nor should we attempt to do so.
St. Thomas provided us with a way of thinking about life and fulfilling our faith. He was a necessary component in providing the rational underpinnings of why we believe what we believe. Most of us will not be called to do something so brilliant – so fundamental to future generations.
And maybe that is what we are to take from St. Thomas’ life – he did what he was called to do – and he did it completely and to the very best of his tremendous talents. Christ asked a great deal from him – God gave him the gifts commensurate with his calling – and St. Thomas delivered.
Like St. Thomas, Christ asks something of each of us – God gives us the gifts commensurate with our own calling – and we must deliver. We must do what we are called to do – no matter how great or insignificant we may think our calling. We must fulfill our calling completely and to the very best of our talents – no matter how numerous or limited we may think they be.
And in the process, we should pick up a copy of St. Thomas’ writings. We will learn so much about who we are and who we can become. We will gain insight into what Christ wants for each of us. And our faith and life-purpose will be that much clearer.
Painting: St. Thomas Aquinas (Demidoff Alterpiece) – Carlo Crivelli (Venice, 15th Century)
