(THEME MUSIC) >> I'M FATHER MITCH PACWA. WELCOME TO EWTN LIVE. WE BRING YOU GUESTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. TONIGHT, WE HAVE A GUEST WHO IS A DOMINICAN PRIEST AND A SCHOLAR OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS. HE IS TRYING TO MAKE THE TEACHINGS OF THE GREAT DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, THE ANGELIC DOCTOR, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL CHRISTIANS WHATEVER INTERESTS OR ABILITIES THEY POSSESS. SHE A SENIOR EDITOR OF MAGNIFICAT MAGAZINE WHICH MANY OF YOU GET, I'M SURE. HE IS ALSO THE CARDINAL PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY AT APRIL MARIA UNIVERSITY. AND THE AUTHOR OF A BOOK THAT WE WILL TALK ABOUT TONIGHT CALLED SANCTIFYING TRUTH: THOMAS AQUINAS ON CHRISTIAN HOLINESS. WELCOME. FATHER, WELCOME. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE WITH YOU, ALBEIT BY THESE TECHNICAL RESOURCES. HOWEVER, TRAVELING TO BIRMINGHAM WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR MY SCHEDULE. WE ARE GLAD TO DO -- TO AT LEAST CONVERSE WITH YOU THROUGH SKYPE. >> YOU KNOW, I WANT TO THAT YOU -- I ENJOYED YOUR LAST BOOK BUT I HAVE ALSO REALLY ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK, SANCTIFYING TRUTH. AS I READ IT, I WAS CHARMED BY IT. IT MAKES THOMAS AQUINAS AND THE PROCESS OF HIS THOUGHT AND DEVELOPMENT OF HIS VIRTUES INTEGRATED. IN A WAY I HAD NOT SCENE AMONG OTHER AUTHORS. AND I THOUGHT THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY GOOD. MOST PEOPLE ARE SOMEWHAT DAUNTED BY THE IDEA OF TRYING TO READ THOMAS AQUINAS. BUT I THINK THAT, AS I LIKE TO SAY OFTEN ENOUGH, YOU HELP PRAY THE HAY DOWN SO US GOATS CAN GET IT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR WRITING THIS. >> WELL, THANK YOU. AND, FATHER MITCH, AND THANK YOU FOR CAPTURING MY PURPOSE IN WRITING IT. AS YOU SAID, MANY PEOPLE CONSIDER THOMAS AQUINAS FOR PHILOSOPHERS AND PROFESSIONAL THEOLOGIANS, I WANTED TO SHOW HIM AS A SPIRITUAL TEACHER IN THE CHURCH. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT YOUR APPROACH IS IT SHOWS WHY HE WAS CANONIZED A SAINT. BEING A GOOD SCHOLAR AND BEING A FAMOUS THEOLOGIAN ARE NOT SUFFICIENT IN THEMSELVES. TO BECOME SAINTS: AND HE CANONIZED SAINT AND PATRON SAINT OF THEOLOGIANS. AND BECAUSE OF THAT INTEGRATION OF HOLINESS WITH HIS SCHOLARSHIP, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU EMPHASIZED. BUT BEFORE WE GET TO DISCUSSING THAT, I'D LIKE YOU TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIS OWN ORIGINS. YOU KNOW, YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE -- THE WAYS THAT HE DEVELOPED AS A SMALL BOY AND TEENAGER AND YOUNG MAN IN HIS EARLIEST STUDIES AND IN HIS DISCOVERY OF HIS VOCATION TO BE A DOMINICAN. >> WELL, AS I POINT OUT IN THE BOOK, WHICH USES PRIMARY SOURCES FROM HIS CANONIZATION PROCEEDING, ST. THOMAS BEGAN HIS LIFE, AS WE CAN SAY SO AS A TYPICAL YOUNG 13TH CENTURY MINOR NOBLEMAN. HIS FAMILY WAS LORDS OF A PLACE CALLED AQUINO THAT STILL EXISTS IN ITALY, AND HE WAS CONSIDERED A CANDIDATE FOR ECCLESIASTICAL PERFORMANCE GIVEN HIS POSITION IN THE SONS OF THE FAMILY. THE OLDEST SONS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE POLITICAL LEADERS, AND THE YOUNGER ONES ECCLESIASTICS. AND AT A VERY EARLY AGE, SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO WHAT WE WOULD IDENTIFY AS NURSERY SCHOOL, THE YOUNG THOMAS WAS SENT TO THE MONTE CASINO, WHICH IS LOCATED, AS YOU KNOW, OH, A GOOD DAY'S RIDE FROM ROME, HALF DAY'S RIDE, I SUSPECT, BY CAR. AND THERE HE BEGAN HIS FORMAL EDUCATION WITH BENEDICT MONKS WHO, UP UNTIL THAT PERIOD IN TIME, HAD WHAT ONE SMITE CALL THE MONOPOLY ON BOTH SCHOLARSHIP AND RELIGIOUS TRAINING. RELIGIOUS TRAINING AND SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE PATRISTIC PAST AT LEAST THROUGH THE MONASTERIES AND THE MONASTERIES WHO WERE LARGELY, THROUGH SAINT BENEDICT'S LABOR AND AS FAR AS THEY FOLLOWED THE RULE OF SAINT BENEDICT, IT WAS THOUGHT THAT THOMAS AQUINAS WOULD BECOME THE ABBOTT OF MON TAKE CASINO AND OF NAPLES WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LARGEST JURISDICTION IN THE REGION. AND SURE ENOUGH, AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME, AT THE BENEDICT AND MONASTERY, ROUGHLY, WHEN HE REACHED OF THE AGE OF A COLLEGE STUDENT, PERHAPS A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL, HE WAS SENT TO NAPLES BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN FOUNDED THERE NOT VERY RECENTLY, A UNIVERSITY. AND AT THAT POINT, GOD'S PROVIDENCE INTERVENED. BECAUSE . . . ABOUT 30 OR 40 YEARS BEFORE, MAYBE A HALF CENTURY BEFORE, A MAN BY THE NAME OF DOMINIC GUZMAN BEGAN A MOVEMENT CALLED THE DOMINICAN, A MOVEMENT THAT WAS PART OF A LARGER CHANGE CALLED DOMINICANS THAT BROKE FROM THE GROUP BECAUSE THE DOMINICANS MOVED AROUND AND UNDERTOOK VARIOUS APOSTOLATES RATHER THAN STAYING WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE MONASTERY. AND IT WAS IN NAPLES THAT THOMAS DE QUINO MET THESE NEWLY FORMED DOMINICANS. AND HE BECAME CAPTIVATED BY THEM, ONE ASSUMES, BY TODAY WHAT WE WOULD CALL THEIR CHARISM, WHICH MADE STUDY, PREACHING AND PRAYER TELL ME PRACTICE ACTIVE PRAYER, THE MODEL FOR THEIR RELIGIOUS APOSTOLATE. HIS FAMILY -- WELL, TO MAKE A COMPARISON, THIS WOULD SORT OF BE LIKE A LARGE -- THE SON HEIR OF A LARGE BUSINESS FORTUNE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES WHO SUDDENLY ANNOUNCED HE WANTED TO BECOME A RAG PICKER, THE PARENTS ARE NOT LIKELY TO HAVE TO REACT POSITIVELY TOWARD SUCH A. THAT MAY BE A DRAMATIC WAY OF PUTTING IT BUT HIS PARENTS REACTED NEGATIVELY TO THOMAS AQUINAS BECOMING INVOLVE IN THIS NEW RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE. THEY KIDNAPPED HIM, TO CUT TO THE CHASE. THEY BROUGHT HIM BACK TO THE FAMILY AND THREW HIM INTO A LOCKED TOMB. THERE HE STAYED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. ABOUT WHICH OF COURSE THERE'S A CELEBRATED STORY THAT ONE OF HIS LESS PIOUS BROTHERS SOUGHT TO INTRODUCE A WOMAN OF EASY VIRTUE INTO THE ROOM WITH THOMAS AQUINAS, AND HE PICKED UP A LOG, A BURNING LOG FROM THE FIREPLACE, AND ESCORTED, SHALL WE SAY, THE LADY OUT. AND THAT GAVE RISE TO WHAT WE KNOW AS THE ANGELIC WAR FAIR, THE PRACTICE OF WEARING A WHITE CORD THAT SYMBOLIZES THE CHASTITY THAT CHARACTERIZED ST. THOMAS' WHOLE LIFE. >> HE DIDN'T JUST SCARE HER. SHE CHASED HER OUT OF THE ROOM. >> WELL, FATHER, I WANTED TO HAVE BEEN POLITE IN THIS PERIOD OF TIME BUT YOU CERTAINLY HAVE DESCRIBED IT MORE PROPERLY THAN I. AND IT'S INTERESTING. AS I MENTIONED, SAINTS HAVE REACTED DIFFERENTLY TO THIS DIFFERENT TEMPTATION. JOHN OF THE CROSS, WHO WAS ALSO IN PRISON BY HIS OWN RELIGIOUS BROTHERS HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE BUT HE SAT DOWN AND CONVERTED THE LADY BY TALKING ABOUT GOD WITH HER. BUT SAINT THOMAS WAS A SOUTHERN ITALIAN AND HE HAD A FIERY TENT MEANT. BUT IN ANY EVENT, THE FAMILY EVENTUALLY RELENTED AND THOMAS AQUINAS RETURNED TO THE DOMINICANS AND THEY WERE SMART AND GOT HIM OUT OF THE WAY RIGHT AWAY WHICH BRINGS HIM TO THE NEXT PHASE OF HIS LIFE, BUT I THINK YOU WERE ONLY INTERESTED IN HOW HE GOT HIS START. >> WELL, IT WAS GOOD TO SEE HIS START. BECAUSE ALREADY PART OF WHAT WAS GOING ON IN HIS LIFE THAT BECOMES AN ONGOING THEME IS CLINGING TO VIRTUE WHILE HE'S ALSO A STUDENT. YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO PURSUE WISDOM, ONE OF THE POINTS THAT YOU BRING OUT THROUGH THE WHOLE OF THIS HIS LIFE IS THAT HE NEEDED TO PURSUE VIRTUE IN ORDER TO FIND WISDOM. A NON-VIRTUOUS PERSON MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACQUIRE FACTS AND DATA. BUT WISDOM IS OF ANOTHER QUALITY BY WHICH YOU UNDERSTAND LIFE AND UNDERSTAND ITS MEANS. AND THAT REQUIRES VIRTUE. AND HE PUT THE VIRTUE OF CHASTITY VERY HIGH UP, AND A VIRTUE THAT HAS TO BE LIVED BY ANYONE BUT -- INCLUDING BY THOSE WHO SCHOLARLY. >> AND THAT'S RIGHT, FATHER MITCH. AND, YES. BUT ST. THOMAS' VIRTUE AND LEARNING WENT TOGETHER. THE PROOF OF THAT IS THE SUM OF: IN A WORD, ONLY A SAINT COULD HAVE COMPOSED THE SUMMA. IT IS TRUE, THE TECHNICAL LANGUAGE OF THE 13TH CENTURY DOES NOT PRODUCE THE SAME REACTION, SAY, AS READING EVEN AN 18TH CENTURY INDUSTRY AUTHOR WHOSE BOOKS SOLD WIDELY IN THE 18TH CENTURY, BUT STILL, ONLY A SAINT COULD COMPOSE THE SAINT LOGIAE. AND ST. THOMAS THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE AND EXERCISED THE VIRTUE, AND I TRIED TO INDICATE THAT, EVEN LATE IN HIS LIFE, THE VIRTUE OF NOBILITY WHEN HE WENT OFF TO DO A SHOPPING ERRAND IN BOLOGNA WHERE HE HAD BEEN SENT BECAUSE SOME DOMINICAN WHO WAS NOT OF HIS STANDING OR STATUS IN THE ORDER CAME UP AND SAID COME ON, I NEED A COMPANION. AND THE WHOLE PEOPLE OF BOLOGNA SAW ST. THOMAS, WHO WAS A LARGE MAN, PROBABLY DID NOT WALK VERY EASILY, STRUGGLING ALONG BEHIND THIS YOUNGER FELLOW WHO HAD BEEN SENT OUT TO DO GROCERY SHOPPING. >> THAT'S ONE OF THE STORIES, TOO. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN CONFIRM THIS OR NOT. BUT HE WAS LARGE ENOUGH IN GIRTH THAT THERE WAS STORIES THEY HAD TO CUT A PLACE IN THE TABLE FOR HIM TO FIT. I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S THE CASE. BUT THAT WAS ONE STORY THAT HAS BEEN PASSED ON ABOUT HIM. >> WELL, I THINK THAT MAY HAVE COME FROM A FRANCISCAN, FATHER. >> THEN I WILL PASS OVER IT IN SILENCE AS A JESUIT. >> I WILL MAKE A COMMENT ON ST. THOMAS' SIZE. IT IS TRUE. THERE ARE TEXTS THAT WOULD SUGGEST HE HAD A CERTAIN GIRTH. IT IS TRUE THAT THERE ARE IMAGES THAT PRESENT HIM THAT WAY. HOWEVER, BY VERY LUCKY CHANCE ONCE, I WAS IN NAPLES. AND WE WERE INVITED TO A DOMINICAN MONASTERY THAT DATED FROM ST. THOMAS' LIFETIME. NERDS IN THE EARLY 13TH CENTURY, AND HAD VERY EARLY PICTURES OF ST. THOMAS AND OTHER SAINTS HIDDEN INSIDE OF THIS CLOISTERED NUN'S MONASTERY MUCH AS YOU HAVE THERE IN BIRMINGHAM. BECAUSE I HAD A VATICAN OFFICIAL TO CUT TO THE CHASE, WE WERE ALLOWED TO COME IN AND LOOK AT THIS WALL THAT WAS INSIDE OF THE CLOSURE. AND LO AND BEHOLD, WHAT DID I DISCOVER? A VERY THIN ST. THOMAS AQUINAS WHO WAS PICTURED IN THE MONASTERY BECAUSE HE AT THE END OF HIS LIFE WAS ON THE EMPLOYEE VISUAL COUNCIL -- THAT'S OUR ORGANIZATION OF GOVERNMENT -- AND HE WENT OUT AND SURVEYED THE LAND ON WHICH THIS MONASTERY WAS BUILT. SO THEY HAD AN IMAGE OF HIM, AND HE WAS VERY THIN. SO I HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THE STORIES ABOUT HIS GIRTH, YOU KNOW, MAY NOT HAVE BEEN QUITE AS ACCURATE AS THEY HAVE COME DOWN. >> OK. THEN WE WILL LEAVE IT AS SUCH AND GO WITH THE NUN'S PICTURE OF HIM. BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT HE WAS EVENTUALLY SENT TO THE GERMAN CITY KNOWN AS COLOGNE, AND THERE HE STUDIED WITH YET ANOTHER GREAT DOMINICAN SCHOLAR SAINT, ALBERT THE GREAT. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND ALBERT'S FORMATION. >> WELL, YES. FINE, SO AS I SAID, THE DOMINICANS WERE SMART. THEY GOT HIM OUT OF NAPLES AND OUT OF THE JURISDICTION OF HIS POLITICALLY, WELL-CONNECTED PARENTS AND FAMILY AND HE WAS SENT TO CO-LINE WHERE DOMINICANS HAD DONE A STUDY, A SPECIAL HOUSE TO TEACH DOE MINUTE CAN YOU KNOWS. WE STILL HAVE THEM. AND THOMAS TURNED OUT TO BE, OF COURSE, A VERY BRIGHT STUDENT. AND ALBERT RECOGNIZED THIS. ALBERT HIMSELF WAS -- HE DREW ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE DAY, WHICH WAS A COMBINATION OF ARISTOCRATIC EMPIRICISM, WHICH MEANS HE WAS INTERESTED IN THINGS. AND HE HAS TREATISES ON ANIMALS AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS. >> MINUTES. >> ROCKS AND MINERALS, ALL OF IT. >> EVEN ARSENIC WAS IN HIS STUDY. >> WELL, HE DISCOVERED ARSENIC. HE DISCOVERED ARSENIC. AND I THINK I RELAYED -- MAYBE NOT IN THE BOOK DISTURB BUT THERE'S THE FAMOUS INCIDENT THAT SHOWS HIS TEMPER. THIS IS SOMETHING THOMAS AQUINAS WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM ALBERT THE GREAT. ALBERT SAID THERE WERE MYTHS IN THE MIDDLE AGES THAT OSTRICHES ATE STEEL AND IRON SCRAPS. AND HE SAID BUT THIS IS FALSE. I TRIED TO FEED THE STRETCHES SIREN SCRAPS AND THEY WOULDN'T EAT THEM. THAT'S THE EMPIRICAL TEMPLE OF ALBERT THE GREAT. THAT'S WHY HE IS CALLED THE DOCTOR UNIVERSALIS. THIS IS SOMETHING YOU COULD DO IN THE LATE 12TH AND 13TH CENTURY. IN ANY CASE, ST. THOMAS TAKES AWAY FROM ALBERT THE GREAT, A LOVE OF ARISTOTLE AND IT'S DEBATABLE HOW MUCH HE TAKES AWAY, ALLEGED BLUE TONGS INFLUENCES OF ALBERT THE GREAT. BUT THEY'RE BOTH SAINTS, ALBERT AND THOMAS. AND ALBERT KNEW THAT THOMAS WAS SUPERIOR BECAUSE THE OTHER STUDENTS -- AS STUDENTS CAN BECOME, SHALL WE SAY, NOT CRITICAL, BUT JOKES WITH YOUNG THOMAS AQUINAS. AND FROM WHAT WE CAN GATHER, THE YOUNG MAN WAS NOT THE JOKING TYPE. NOT THE TYPE WHO IN A -- AS YOU HAVE IN YOUR JESUIT HOUSES WHO WOULD POKE FUN WITH ONE SOOT. BUT HE BECAME THE OBJECT OF FUN POKING. AND THEY CALLED HIM THE DUMB OX, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY PEOPLE THINK HE WAS BIG. AND ALBERT FAMOUSLY SAID THAT THIS OX WILL BELLOW AND HIS BELLOWS WILL BE HEARD AROUND THE WORLD. AND IT TURNS OUT ALBERT WAS RIGHT. >> YEP. IN FACT, THAT LINE WAS USED IN ANOTHER SHORT BIOGRAPHY AND INTRODUCTION OF THOMAS' THOUGHTS BY G.K. CHESTERTON. >> YES. RIGHT. >> FROM THAT IT SHOW I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ALBERT, WHAT DO YOU SEE ALSO THE PATRON SAINT OF SCIENTISTS BECAUSE OF HIS INTEREST IN ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT AREAS AND THE DESIRE TO SEE THESE TOPICS INCLUDED AT THE UNIVERSITY, THOMAS BRINGS THAT CONCRETE UNDERSTANDING OF REALTY TO HIS -- REALITY TO HIS STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY, INSTEAD OF JUST TAKING DEDUCTIONS FROM BIG PRINCIPLES. HE ALSO WANTS THAT COON CREATE REALITY TO BE PRESENT. AND UNIFIES THOSE APPROACHES AND PHILOSOPHIES. AND THIS IS A KEY ELEMENT OF THOMAS' IMPORTANCE AND THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY AS WELL AS THEOLOGY. >> THAT'S RIGHT, ON THE NOSE. TO SUM IT UP, ST. THOMAS DOESN'T BEGIN WITH SKY-HOOKS. SKY-HOOKS ARE MY METAPHOR FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BEGIN PHILOSOPHY AND OTHER PLACES THAN IN CONTACT WITH THE REAL. AND ST. THOMAS, OF COURSE, DIDN'T THINK IN THOSE TERMS. THAT'S WHY, IN MY JUDGMENT, THE EFFORTS THAT ARE TRANSCENDENTAL THOMASISM, WERE NOT VERY SUCCESSFUL AND HAVE NOT BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. IT'S LIKE MIXING OIL AND WATER. ST. THOMAS HAD A GREAT PRECIOUS FOR THE NATURAL SCIENCES. WE DON'T OFTEN HEAR ABOUT HIS COMMENTARIES ON ARISTOTLE BUT THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT TEXTS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE INTELLECTUAL TEMPER OF THOMAS AQUINAS. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO CLAIM THAT THOMAS AQUINAS IS ONLY A THEOLOGIAN, INCLUDING SOME RESPECTED SCHOLARS AND FRIENDS OF MINE INDEED. RESPECTFULLY HOWEVER, I THINK, THAT'S A VERY DIFFICULT THESIS TO DEFEND IN LIGHT OF THE CONTROVERSIAL WORKS THEMSELVES THAT ST. THOMAS COMPOSED. BUT WHAT IS MORE TO THE POINT, SASS YOU HAVE SAID, THOMAS AQUINAS WAS INTERESTED IN EVERYTHING AND HOW IT RELATED TO GOD. AND THAT'S WHAT OF COURSE HE CALLS THE SACRA DOCTRINA, GOD'S MESSAGE IN WHICH HE TREATS A WORLD IN WHICH THE THEOLOGIAN CAN OPERATE. >> ONE OF THE OTHER VERY IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS -- WE HAVE ST. THOMAS LEFT COLOGNE AND WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS. >> THAT'S RIGHT. >> AND HE TAUGHT THERE. STUDIED MORE BUT ALSO TAUGHT THERE. AND ONE OF THE KEY BENEFITS OF THOMAS, WHEN YOU READ THROUGH HIS SUMA, IS THAT HE MADE HIMSELF AWARE OF AS MANY OF THE ARGUMENTS OF HIS OPPONENTS AS HE COULD. HE WOULD START OFF WITH A QUESTION AND DEAL WITH THIS AND THAT'S HOW IT'S ORGANIZED, A CERTAIN QUESTION,. >> HE WOULD LIST THE OBJECTIONS TO THE CATHOLIC POSITION. AND TO THE POSITION THAT HE FELT WAS LOGICAL. BUT THEN HE GOES TO ALL OF THESE OBJECTIONS AND GIVES AN ANSWER TO EACH ONE. AND THIS IS ANOTHER KEY ELEMENT OF THE WAY HE DOES PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY. HE UNDERSTANDS THE OTHER SIDE AS WELL AS HIS OWN POSITION. AND HE LAYS THAT OUT THERE SO YOU CAN TRULY UNDERSTAND -- YOU KNOW, GET WHAT HE'S SAYING. BUT SEE THAT THIS IS, BY FAR, THE MOST LOGICAL ANSWER. WOULD YOU COMMENT ON THAT METHOD OF HIS? >> WELL, YOU'VE EXPLAINED IT VERY WELL. ST. THOMAS DID NOT INVENT THE SUMA FORM. HE BELONGS TO A CLASS OF AUTHORS WHOM THE SCHOLARS CALLED SUMMISTS, THOSE WHO HAVE COMPOSED SUMMAS. AND THE REASON AT SUMMAS CAME INTO BEING IS BECAUSE BY THE LATE 12TH AND 13TH CENTURIES, THE OPINION THAT PEOPLE HAD ABOUT THEOLOGIAN TOPICS WERE SO VOLUMINOUS THAT NO ONE COULD MANAGE THEM ALL. AND AS A RESULT, THEY HAD TO BE, AS IT WERE, MANAGED, AND NEGOTIATED, IN SUCH A WAY THAT, INSTEAD OF CAUSING CONFUSION TO THE STUDENT, THEY, RATHER, COULD BE SHOWN, AS YOU PUT IT, TO, IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, REFLECT SOME PART OF THE FINAL RESOLUTION TO A THEOLOGICAL QUESTION. NOT EVERYBODY GOT EVERYTHING; RIGHT. SOME PEOPLE GOT THINGS WRONG. SOME AUTHORS, SOME SAINTS, GOT THINGS WRONG. WHY DID THEY GET THINGS WRONG? BECAUSE, AS YOU PUT IT, IT DIDN'T PUT IN -- LOGIC IS THE WORD -- IT'S A DIFFICULTY WORD BECAUSE LOGIC HAS A DIFFERENT FORMAT ABOUT IT BUT IT DIDN'T FIT INTO THE OVERALL, I THINK IT'S EASY TO SAY, PICTURE OF DIVINE REVELATION. SO SAINT THOMAS DOES. BUST HIS SELECTION OF THE OPINIONS TO CONSIDER IS PART OF HIS WISDOM. VERY CRAFTILY SUGGESTED. AND THEY'RE ORGANIZED. IT ISN'T SIMPLY A DIALECTICAL SEGMENT OF DISCOVERY AS SOME PEOPLE THINK. IT'S, RATHER, A VERY EXQUISITE FORM OF PEDAGOGY BY WHICH VARIOUS OPINIONS ARE PUT OUT AND, FROM WHICH, WITH THE HELP OF THE SOURCES THAT HE SITES, ST. THOMAS CONSTRUCTS THE BODY OF THE ARTICLE -- SOMETIMES CALLED THE RESPONSE -- BECAUSE AN ARTICLE IS CAST IN THE FORM OF A QUESTION -- AND THEN, AS YOU SAY, AT THE END, HE WILL CORRECT THE OPINION THAT WAS SET FORTH IN THE ORIGINAL ARGUMENTS OR OBJECTIONS AS THEY ARE CALLED. SO THE STUDENT NOT ONLY LEARNS A NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT THE TRUTH, BUT ALSO COMES TO RECOGNIZE HOW TO BE SELECTIVE IN WHAT HE MAY HAVE READ AND IN THE OTHER THINGS. IT WOULD ONLY HAVE BEEN CLERICS THAT WERE DOING THE READING. HE MAY HAVE READ OTHER AUTHORS, EVEN INGREDIENT ONES LIKE SAINT AUGUSTINE: LET ME JUST SAY, IN A WAY THAT IS DESCRIBED BY HISTORIANS AS REFERENTIAL, HE -- IF HE DEALS WITH SOMEONE LIKE ST AUGUSTINE WHO MAY NOT HAVE EXPRESSED, THIS QUITE AS EXACTLY AS THEY SHOULD BE, ST. THOMAS REVERENTLY CORRECTS IT. ALMOST AT TIMES YOU DON'T NOTICE IT. WHICH SHOWS OF COURSE HIS RESPECT FOR THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH, THAT THE ACTUALLY CONSTITUTES WHAT WE CALL HOLY TRADITION. >> NOW, I'D LIKE US TO GO BACK TO THE DISCUSSION THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR BOOKS ABOUT THE ISSUE OF VIRTUE AND TRUTH. BECAUSE ST. THOMAS WAS WORKING THROUGH LOTS OF CONTROVERSIES MUCH HIS DAY. AND I WOULD -- I HAVE ASSERTED MANY TIMES, ON MY PROGRAMS THAT THERE WAS MORE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THOUGHT IN A IMMEDIATE EVIL UNIVERSITY THAN YOU FIND IN MANY CONTRARY UNIVERSITIES, ESPECIALLY THE IVY LEAGUE UNIVERSITIES. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS YOU KNOW CANNOT EVEN STATE ANYMORE. SO MANY DISCUSSIONS THAT YOU MAY NOT EVEN CONSIDER; WHEREAS, ST. THOMAS AND HIS CONTRARIES AND LATER, DID, ENGAGE IN DEBATES OF ALL KINDS OF ISSUES. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CHARACTERIZES ST. THOMAS IS THAT AT THE SAME TIME, HE GREW IN HOLINESS, IN VIRTUE. HE WAS PRAYING THAT -- THERE'S A NEED FOR THEOLOGIAN TO PRAY OVER THE TOPICS. AND THERE'S ALSO A NEED TO ACT VIRTUOUSLY, MORALLY, IF YOU MIGHT SAY. NOT JUST A BEAR MINIMUM OF REALITY BUT TO SEEK TO LIVE OUT VIRTUE. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT. AND I THINK YOU BRING THAT OUT EXTREMELY WELL IN YOUR BOOK. >> WELL, AGAIN, THAT YOU, FATHER. THE TITLE OF THE BOOK IS "SANCTIFYING TRUTH." AND THE TRUTH OF COURSE IS AN INTELLECTUAL TRUTH. SANCTIFICATION IS A PURSUIT OF THE WILL. ONE LOVES AND BECOMES A SAINT. I THINK WE CAN UNDERSTAND ST. THOMAS' ACHIEVEMENT IF WE UNDERSTAND ST. THOMAS -- SAINT DOMINIC'S CONCEPTION OF WHAT A DOMINICAN SHOULD BE. THE MODEL THAT THE DOMINICANS HAVE TAKEN INDEED FROM THE WRITINGS OF ST. THOMAS CONTEMPLATE AND GIVE TO OTHERS THE FRUITS OF CONTEMPLATION. THE MODERN VIEW THAT PRAYER, FOR EXAMPLE, IS AN AUXILIARY EXERCISE THAT GIVES YOU ENOUGH ENERGY TO GO AND TO CARRY OUT WHATEVER WORK YOU MAY BE ASSIGNED TO DO, EVEN PREACHING OR CARING FOR THE SICK, ALL OF THE WORKS THAT THE CHURCH UNDER DAYS, IS SOMEWHAT OF A DEPARTURE FROM WHAT I WILL CALL THE MONASTIC BUT ALSO THE DOMINICAN CONCEPTION OF LIFE. IT'S NOT -- IT ISN'T THAT THE PREACHING AND TEACHING IS FUELED BY PRAYER. IT'S IN FACT SHAPED BY PRAYER. AND THERE'S A DIFFERENCE. CONTEMPLATA, THE THINGS CONTEMPLATED YOU SHARE WITH ANOTHER. THAT MEANS THAT WHAT YOU TEACH SHOULD CONFIRM TO THE PRAYERS WHICH REFLECT WHAT YOU BELIEVE. AND THIS, I BELIEVE, IS THE PROMISE THAT YOU HAVE GENTLY REFERRED TO IN THE MODERN UNIVERSITY WHERE THEOLOGY AND A SOMEWHAT COUNTERINTUITIVE MOVE SEEMS TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT DISCIPLINE BY ITSELF SUCH THAT THEOLOGIANS TALK ABOUT WHAT OTHER THEOLOGIANS SAY, WHICH CAN LEAD TO SOME DISTRACTING THOUGHTS. MANY PLACES, AS YOU KNOW, CHANGED THEIR DEPARTMENTS OF THEOLOGY TO BE CALLED DEPARTMENTS OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES INDICATE THEIR THEOLOGIAN WAS NOT CONFESSIONAL BUT, RATHER, ECUMENICAL AND TO RELIGIOUS. AND THAT REALLY AMOUNTS TO THEORIES LOOKING BACK AT THEORIES AND ANALYZING THEORIES OF ONE RELIGION OR ANOTHER. AND IT WASN'T ST. THOMAS. ST. THOMAS KNEW THAT EVERY WORRIED OF THAT SUMMA THAT HE WROTE WAS AN EXPRESSION OF GOD'S KNOWLEDGE OF HIMSELF, THAT IS TO SAY OF UNIQUE DIVINE TRUTH. AND THAT CONVICTION CAME TO HIM FROM HIS PONE HUMILITY BECAUSE HE RECOGNIZED THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION, WHAT GOD GAVE TO THE WORLD IN CHRIST, IN THE INCARNATE WORD. AND THE REST OF THAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH FROM THE RESURRECTION TO TODAY. I MEAN, WE LIVE OFF OF THE CONVICTION THAT THE TRUTH OF THE CHURCH PREACHES, THE BISHOPS AND UNION WITH THE HOLY FATHER, PREACH A TRUTH WHICH IS GOD'S OWN TRUTH. AND SAINT THAT MEANS HAD THAT CONVICTION AND HE HAD A DEEP APPRECIATION FOR HOW GRATEFUL THE HUMAN RACE SHOULD BE FOR SUCH A DIVINE COMMUNICATION. AND THE TELEOLOGY THAT HE WROTE WAS AN ATTEMPT TO BREAK ON THAT DIVINE TRUTH, TO MOVE BEYOND THE BIBLICAL LANGUAGE WHICH ITSELF AS EVOCATIVE AS IT IS, CANNOT ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COME -- FOR EXAMPLE, EVEN ABOUT THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. THE COUNCIL NICEA SHOWS THAT. SO, YEAH, THE HOLINESS AND LEARNING, I WOULD SAY, SAINT THAT MEANS CARRIED ON THE TOMISTIC TRADITION BUT HE PUT IT IN THE UNIVERSITY SETTING AND ACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSITY STANDARDS OF HIS DAY. AND THE REMARKABLE THING IS THAT IT HAS HELD UP FOR 800 YEARS. >> THIS IS REMARKABLE. >> YEAH. AND WE CAN POINT BACK TO THE 19TH SENT THREE RENEWAL OF THOMAS UNDER LEO 13TH WHICH IS ANIMATED BY GOOD JESUIT FATHERS AS WE KNOW, BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, EVEN THOUGH TODAY PEOPLE WOULD SAY IT DOESN'T HAVE THE HOLD THAT IT DID, SAY, IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, INCREASINGLY, YOU FIND PEOPLE SEARCHING THE SUMMA TO DETERMINE THE TRUTH OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALK ABOUT ST. THOMAS' CONCRETELY, WE HAVE TO CONCRETELY TAKE A BREAK RIGHT NOW. THIS IS THE FACT OF THE SITUATION. BUT WE WILL BE BACK IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT HOW FOLKS WHO ARE NOT PROFILE THEOLOGIANS CAN STILL START TO APPLY IN THEIR OWN LIVES SOME OF THE APPROACH AND HE WAS INSIGHTS OF ST. THOMAS FOR THEIR OWN LEARNING AND CONTEMPLATION. SO PLEASE STAY WITH US. WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK. (THEME MUSIC) (THEME MUSIC) >> ALL RIGHT. WELCOME BACK. WE ARE DISCUSSING A BOOK CALLED SANCTIFYING TRUTH. THOMAS AQUINAS ON CHRISTIAN HOLINESS. IT'S WRITTEN BY FATHER RAMANAS OZARIO, O.P. AND YOU CAN PURCHASE THIS AT WWW.EWTNRC.COM. WWW.EWTNRC.COM WHERE IT IS ITEM NUMBER 9836. AND IT'S -- FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THOMAS AQUINAS' WRITING OR MAYBE YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF IT AND YOU HAVE BEEN PUT OFF, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK TO START OFF, TO BEGIN GOING INTO THE MAN AND HIS THOUGHT AND PRAYER AND HOW HE DEVELOPED IN HOLINESS. WEST POINTS, FATHER, THAT YOU MAKE, IN YOUR BOOK, IS THAT ANY AND EVERY CHRISTIAN OUGHT TO STUDY THE FAITH TO THE FURTHEST THEY CAN. NOT EVERYBODY HAS THE OPTION TO GET A HIGHER DEGREE OR EVEN AN UNDERGRAD DEGREE IN THEOLOGY. IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE. BUT EVERYBODY CAN STUDY AND READ, WHETHER IT'S THE BIBLE -- YOU TALK ABOUT HOW ST. THOMAS TAUGHT SCRIPTURE. HE BEGAN WITH SCRIPTURE ANYBODY CAN START TO STUDY SCRIPTURE OR LITURGICAL TEXTS, LIKE TO PRAY AND STUDY THE WORDS OF THE PRAYERS OF HOLY MASS AND OTHER PARTIES OF OUR FAITH. THESE CAN ALL BE APPROACHED, THE CATECHISM AND ET CETERA. AND I WOULD LIKE YOU TO TALK MORE ABOUT HOW EVERY MEMBER OF THE CHURCH HAS THIS NEED TO STUDY, PRAY, AND GROW IN VIRTUE AS PART OF THEIR CHRISTIAN TASK. WELL, AS SAINT THAT MEANS HIMSELF MAKES CLEAR, THERE ARE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE POSE ABOUT THE CATHOLIC FAITH. THOSE ANSWERS ARE DRAWN FROM SCRIPTURE, FROM THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH, OTHER AUTHORITIES THAT THE CHURCH RECOGNIZES, AND THEY'RE PUT TOGETHER, AS I WAS SAYING IN THE FIRST SECTION, IN A WAY THAT IS INTELLIGIBLE TO AN EDUCATED READER BUT CAN ALSO BE MADE INTELLIGIBLE TO PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE TECHNICAL LANGUAGE OF THE 13TH CENTURY. THERE ARE MANY SUCH BOOKS, BY THE WAY, THAT GIVE YOU AQUINAS FOR THE SIMPLE SO TO SPEAK. BUT THE POINT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THAT, YES, GROWTH IN FAITH COMES FROM CONSOLIDATE LEARNING. GROWTH IN FAITH DOES NOT COME FROM LISTENING TO FABLE MYTHOLOGIES, RUMORS AND OTHER ECLECTIC RELIGIOUS INFORMATION THAT HAS NO AUTHORITY ATTACHED TO IT. I SAY THAT ONLY BECAUSE THERE PROBABLY ARE CASES WHERE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE FAITH ARE NOT FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF PEOPLE OR OF TEXTS THAT ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE IT FOR THEM IN THE RIGHT WAY. THIS, OF COURSE, IS A PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRIEST OF THE CHURCH, BUT PASTORS OF SOULS WHOSE OBLIGATION TO TEACH AS WELL AS TO SANCTIFY SHOWS HOW THE CHURCH UNDERSTANDS GROWTH IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. AND PRIESTS TEACHER, GOVERN, AND SANCTIFY. AND THE SANCTIFICATION COMES FROM THE TEACHING. SO YES, SO, YES, THERE ARE ANY -- THERE ARE AT EVERY LEVEL BOOKS THAT EXPLAIN CATHOLIC DOCTRINE. AND, BY THE WAY, I WILL MENTION A JESUIT SAINT, SOME CENTURIES AFTER AQUINAS, THE FOUNDER OF THE CATHOLIC RELIGION, THE GERMAN WHO HELPED CONVERT SKITS LAND, BUT HE LEARNED THAT WHAT THE PEOPLE NEEDED ESPECIALLY AT THE TIME OF THE REFORMATION WAS THE TRICK DOCTRINE AND HIS WORK HE AS I RECALL INTERCEDES THE CATHOLIC -- IT'S INSPIRED US BY HIS MODEL SO THE JESUITS HAVE DONE NOBLE WORK. I ALSO THINK OF THE LATE FATHER JOHN HARDIN WHO I HAD HONOR KNOWING AND HE IS SOMEONE WHO TOO PUT OUT, IN POPULAR FORMS, CATHOLIC TEACHING. >> IN FACT -- I WAS GOING TO SAY ABOUT FATHER HARDIN, THAT HIS PRESENTATION OF CATECHESIS OF A TYPE OF CATECHISM WAS SO UNDERSTANDABLE, SO CLEAR, AND IT CAME OUT A FEW YEARS BEFORE THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. BUT IT'S JUST LOSE IT AND SO CLEAR. AND THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE MEANT FOR ANY AND EVERY SINGLE CATHOLIC. >> AND I THINK I WILL OBLIGE YOURSELF BY SAYING I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOUR READERS FOE PICK UPPER THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND FATHER HARDIN'S CATECHISM AND SOLID BOOKS THAT REPRESENT WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES. BUT THE CATECHISM AS YOU KNOW WAS THE CHURCH'S RECOGNITION AND, ONCE AGAIN, WHAT WAS NEEDED WAS A SOLID PRESENTATION OF THE FAITH. BE SENIOR BUT, THERE ARE ALSO COMMENTARIES AND SO FORTH. BUT WHY IS IT THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING BEFORE IT GOES HOLY. LOVE FOLLOWS WHAT IS KNOWN. BECAUSE YOU CAN'T LOVE WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION IS, YOU CAN'T LOVE THE GRACE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. IF YOU MISTAKE IT FOR THE VIRGIN BIRTH, AS SOME PEOPLE DO, THAT INHIBITS YOUR CAPACITY TO BENEFIT, TO BE SANCTIFIED BOTH BY MARY'S MATERNAL MEDIATION AND DIVINE MATERNITY AND ALSO BY HER IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF GRACE, BY THE WAY, THAT THIS GENERATION NEEDS TO HAVE MORE THAN -- AS MUCH AS ANY BEFORE, BUT IT HAS TO DO WITH LOVING WHAT YOU KNOW, AND WITH THE FAITH, YOU ONLY COME TO KNOW IT BY BEING TAUGHT IT. WHICH IS WHY THE CHURCH RECOGNIZES DOCTORS AS A CATEGORY OF SAINTS AND GIVES THEM A PLACE IN THE CHURCH'S HIERARCHY. AND YOU GO TO ST. PETER'S BASILICA, YOU FIND THE CHAIR OF THE PETER HELD UP BY FOUR DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH, EAST AND WEST, THOSE ARE FROM THE PATRISTIC TIMES. AQUINAS, AS YOU MAY KNOW ALSO, WAS THE FIRST SAINT, TEACHER, GIVEN THE TITLE DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AFTERNOON OF THE PATRISTIC PERIOD AND NOW THE LIST IS IN THE HIGH 70S SOMEWHERE. >> IN FACT ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING HERE AT THE NETWORK IS DEVELOPING A SERIES ON THE DOCTORS GOING THROUGH EACH OF THEM. AND IT BELONGED TO A PROJECT THAT WE STARTED DOING. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE, AS YOU SAY, BY DOCTOR, WE TAKE IT IN THE LATIN SENSE OF SOMEONE THAT TEACHES. AND THE IDEA I'D OF A DOCTOR IS THAT YOU'RE SOMEONE THAT TEACHES SORES. AND THE CHURCH RECOGNIZES SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, SAINT AUGUSTINE -- MANY OTHERS. THERE'S ABOUT 70 SOME, WHO ARE TEACHERS RECOGNIZED BY THE CHURCH AS AUTHENTIC PRESENTERS OF CATHOLIC DOCTRINE AND FAITH. AND YOU ALSO SEE THAT ALL OF THEM ARE HOLY PEOPLE AS WELL, THAT WERE SAINTS. THEY'RE NOT SIMPLY SCHOLARS. THEY ARE SCHOLARS WHO SOUGHT JESUS CHRIST AND HOLINESS AND, AGAIN, AS YOU BRING OUT WITH ST. THOMAS, THAT MEANS HAVING A LOVE OF GOD THAT YOU HAVE THIS CHARITY FOR -- AND LOVING GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS AND SEEING ALL THINGS IN THAT LOVE. THAT CHARACTERIZES THESE DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH AS IT CHARACTERIZES ST. THOMAS AQUINAS. AND AGAIN THAT'S A STRONG COMPONENT IN EUROPE PRESENTATION OF THOMAS. >> WELL, THAT'S TRUE. AND TRUTH TO TELL. IF THE CANONIZATION PROCEEDING DAY CARE BECAUSE BY THE 1ST CENTURY THEY DID INTERVIEW THEM THROUGH DEPOSITION -- DID NOT DETAIL SO MUCH OF THOMAS AQUINAS' HOLY LIFE, I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THE MATERIAL TO ILLUSTRATE THAT I SELECT AND SAID PUT INTO THE BOOK. THE CANONIZATION PROCEEDINGS DEAL VERY LITTLE WITH HIS WRITING. THE WRITINGS WERE JUDGED AS ORTHODOX. BUT THE LODGE OF THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL ARE INCIDENTS THAT RELATE TO HIS HOLINESS AND TO HIS PRACTICES. ONE OF WHICH IS THE MOST CHARMING IS OF HIS PRACTICE OF NOT ONLY SAYING MASS EACH DAY AS A PRIEST, WHICH IS FOR EVERY PRIEST, BUT HE ALSO THEN EITHER SERVES THE MASS OF HIS ASSISTANT OR ASSISTED AT ANOTHER MASS OF THANKSGIVING AS WAS THE PRACTICE. A GREAT WITH DEVOTION TO THE EUCHARIST. >> IN FACT, HE COMPOSED ONE OF THE VERY FAMOUS HYMNS THAT IS A EUCHARISTIC HYMN, MORE THAN ONE I BELIEVE. >> YES. WELL, HE COMPOSED THE WHOLE OFFICE OF THE CHURCH, THE MASS AND ITS OFFICE IN ITS CLASSICAL LATIN FORM, FOR THE FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI WHICH WAS INSTITUTED AFTER HIS LIFETIME AFTER THE MIRACLE, SO HE HAS, YES, WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARE SAYING AT EVERY BENEDICTION ARE THE LAST VERSES OF HYMNS THAT THE SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS COMPOSED ABOUT AUTOMATIC VISIT. BUT THE OTHER THING I WANT TO SAY -- AND I GAVE AN EXAMPLE OF HIS HOLINESS AS WITNESSED BY HIS PIOUS PRACTICE ASSAYING MASS AND HEARING MASS BUT HE ALSO HAD DEVOTION TO THE SAINTS. BELIEVE IT OR NOT HE HAD A GREAT DEVOTION TO SAINT PHILOMENA. AND RELICS OF SAINT PHILOMENA WHICH HE KEPT AND WHICH HE USED WHEN PEOPLE WERE SICK, HE WOULD PUT THE RELICS ON THEM AND THEY WERE HEALED. ONE WAS HEALED SO MIRACULOUSLY THAT AQUINAS SUGGESTED THAT A SPECIAL DESSERT BE SERVED IN THE REFECTORY ON THE SAINT'S FEAST DAY. SO HE WAS -- HE WASN'T YOU KNOW, UNRECOGNIZABLY HOLY. HE HAD VERY HUMAN QUALITIES WHICH DO NOT COME OUT IN HIS WRITING. I THINK THEY SAY THERE'S ONLY TWO TIMES IN THE WHOLE SUMMA WHERE HE USES THE FIRST-PERSON PRONOUN "I." >> WE HAVE JUST ABOUT ANOTHER MINUTE OR SO TO CONCLUDE. WOULD THERE BE JUST ONE LAST SHORT THING THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO ADD ABOUT ST. THOMAS. >> WELL, I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO PRAY TO ST. THOMAS. I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT WANT HAPPENS WHEN A FIGURE BECOMES IDENTIFIED WITH ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND BECOMES A MODEL FOR PROFILE THEOLOGIANS. PRAY TO ST. THOMAS. AND ASK HIM TO HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE FAITH. HE DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO MAKING THE FAITH CLEAR, ADMITTEDLY TO CLERKS WHO IN TURN WOULD PASS IT ON TO THE PEOPLE. BUT I THINK IF WE PRAY TO ST. THOMAS. AND FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ESPECIALLY, THEY CAN TAKE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE ANGELIC WARFARE ASSOCIATION, WHICH STILL EXISTS. IT'S AN ASSOCIATION WHICH DISTRIBUTES MEDALS AND CORDS WHICH ARE SPECIAL PRAYERS TO ST. THOMAS FOR CHASTITY AND PURITY. >> MUCH NEEDED IN THESE TIMES. >> I'M AFRAID THAT WE ARE OUT OF TIME. WOULD YOU JOIN ME IN GIVING A BLESSING TO ALL OF OUR VIEWERS. >> I CERTAINLY WILL, FATHER. >> MAY ALMIGHTY GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND KEEP YOU FILLED WITH HOLINESS AND TRUTH, THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN. THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS BOOK. AND WE THANK ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO BRING THE FATHER AND ALL OF OUR OTHER GUESTS. AGAIN KEEP US BETWEEN YOUR ELECTRIC BILL AND GAS BILL AND OTHER BILLS AND WE WILL PAY OUR BILLS. THANK YOU. (THEME MUSIC)
