By fasting, the body is subjected to the soul. By prayer, the soul is united to God. By charity, man is united to man, and through man to God. As long as you did it for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it for Me (Matt. 25:40). Without charity to our fellow men, neither fasting nor prayer is acceptable to God. Fasting and prayer must issue in a kindness and sympathy that reach not only to our closest associate but also to the most distant sufferer. Commemoration of SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS Thomas Aquinas (1226-74), a child of noble lineage, was educated at the Abbey of Monte Cassino and as a youth entered the new Dominican Order at the University of Naples, to become one of the greatest philosophers and theologians of all times, and in his day one of Europes most popular preachers and teachers. To extraordinary gifts of mind he added a prodigious capacity for work, complete singleness of purpose, and a profoundly mystical holiness of life. His Summa Theologica and Summa contra Gentiles constitute the most reasonable and comprehensive defense of Christian doctrine ever produced, and his Eucharistic prayers and poetry are enshrined in the Churchs liturgy. He is the patron of Catholic education.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 11:35:38 +0000
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