What can we say about St. Thomas Aquinas? He\’s only a towering giant of a theologian and a great mystic; a Dominican who valued friendship and community even while he spent most of his time in prayer, study and writing. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so let\’s offer a sampling of images to give an idea of this great man.
This image of St. Thomas shows him teaching while the Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove next to his ear) gives him inspiration.
This one depicts St. Thomas\’ mystical encounter with God, who said, \”You have written well of Me, Thomas. What do you ask?\” Thomas, being a saint, replied, \”Nothing but Yourself, O Lord.\” As you can see there\’s a Dominican friar watching all this in the background. This seems to be normal for Dominicans–they secretly watched St. Dominic at prayer, too! On a positive note, it means we have eyewitness accounts of experiences the saints might have been to humble to reveal…
This image of St. Thomas shows his essential kindness and joyfulness.
Yes, a sample of St. Thomas\’ handwriting!
St. Thomas\’ grave in Toulouse, France.