Today, March 7, is the 750th anniversary of the death of St. Thomas Aquinas. The Dominican Order is celebrating a triduum of years–honoring not only St. Thomas’ death but also the 700th anniversary of his canonization in 2023–and you can receive a plenary indulgence by visiting a Dominican church or other Dominican place dedicated to St. Thomas, or by participating in a Mass or other celebration in honor of St. Thomas Aquinas. The three years began on January 28, 2023 and will last until January 28, 2025. The usual conditions for a plenary indulgence are required.
Let us be united in giving thanks to God for the great gift of St. Thomas Aquinas to the Dominican Order, to the Church, and to the world!
We were happy to welcome Fr. Raphael Mary Salzillo, O.P. to our monastery last week. Father is a Dominican friar belonging to the Western Province (or Holy Name Province) but has been teaching at the University of St. Thomas in Houston for the past four years. We’ve been trying to get him to come for a while, but COVID kept getting in the way.
He gave a fascinating series of classes on Form of the Person and Soul in St. Thomas Aquinas–intense stuff, but Father made it fun with his silly examples (like “Sammy the Squirrel”). We all learned a lot and enjoyed his presentation and style immensely.
Father illustrates the concept of form in Thomas Aquinas using an orange
Father listening intently to one of the many questions we posed to him
Father Raphael Mary also led a small discussion group on the book The Women Are Up To Something, an intriguing study of four women philosophers at Oxford around the time of the second World War: Elizabeth Anscombe, Mary Midgely, Phillipa Foot, and Iris Murdoch. Those who participated enjoyed it very much!
For his last session, Father explained his work with Courage International and Eden Invitation, and asked out prayers for these two groups. We didn’t know too much about these ministries, so we were glad to know about them and will keep their intentions in our prayers.
Thank you so much, Father Raphael Mary, for a fun and educational time! We wish you well in your new assignment in California, and hope we will meet up with you again some day!
Great is the dignity of souls, for each one to have an angel deputed to guard it from its birth.
St. Jerome
St. Thomas Aquinas is quite clear on this matter: “Each man has a guardian angel appointed to him.” And in case you’re wondering, St. Thomas also tells us that an unborn child is protected by its mother’s guardian angel, since the good of the one is the good of the other during pregnancy. A child receives a personal guardian angel at birth, as Jerome explains.
Guardian angels are supposed to be kind of low in the hierarchy of angels–the privates of the angelic army–and yet because they can receive direction and share in the gifts their superiors possess, a guardian angel should not be taken lightly. These angels play an immensely important role in our lives, one most of us probably take for granted. But, as St. Thomas points out, “angel guardians are given to men…as regards invisible and secret things, concerning the salvation of each one in his own regard.” Without the assistance of our guardian angels, guiding, protecting, and pointing us in the right direction, we would almost surely be lost.
All guardian angels can drive off demons and work miracles. Haven’t we all had moments when certain disaster or harm was somehow, inexplicably, averted? It can be tempting to fall back on our own powers–“I was lucky”, “I decided at the last minute not to go and avoided that accident”. But let’s give credit where credit is due! Our guardian angels are working for us 24/7 without a break. St. Thomas assures us that they will never forsake us. In fact, if we persevere to the end, our guardian angels will be with us forever in heaven, constant companions, guides, and best friends. Let’s call on these angels often, for they are always waiting to help! And let’s thank them when we feel the touch of an angel’s wing on our shoulder.
Dominican Life on Lotus Lane 