Who was St. Thomas Aquinas?

St. Thomas Aquinas was a thirteenth-century Dominican priest, philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. He showed that sound reason and revealed faith serve the same truth because both come from God.

His life and vocation. Thomas was born around 1224 or 1225 near Aquino in southern Italy. His noble family expected him to pursue an influential church career, but he chose the newly founded Dominican Order, devoted to poverty, study, and preaching. His family strongly opposed the decision and confined him for a time, yet Thomas remained faithful to his vocation. He later studied under St. Albert the Great and taught in Paris and Italy.

Faith and reason. Thomas drew from Scripture, the Fathers, earlier Christian thinkers, and the philosophy of Aristotle. He taught that human reason can know real truths about God from creation, though divine revelation is necessary for truths beyond reason and for a sure knowledge of what God has revealed. The Church teaches that faith and reason cannot truly contradict each other because God is the source of both (CCC 159). Human reason can know with certainty that God exists, even though our knowledge remains limited (CCC 36-38). Thomas's famous Five Ways are philosophical arguments pointing from created realities to God.

His theology and prayer. Thomas's best-known work is the Summa Theologiae, organized around God, creation, human action, Christ, and the sacraments. He was especially devoted to the Eucharist and composed liturgical texts for the feast of Corpus Christi. He defended the doctrine of transubstantiation, meaning that the whole substance of bread and wine becomes Christ's Body and Blood while the appearances remain (CCC 1376). His theology came from prayer as well as study. For Thomas, sacred theology was contemplation of revealed truth for the service of souls.

His final years and legacy. In December 1273, after a profound experience during Mass, Thomas stopped writing, saying that his works seemed like straw compared with what had been revealed to him. This did not repudiate his theology. It expressed humility before the mystery of God. He died in 1274 while traveling to the Second Council of Lyon. The Church canonized him in 1323 and later named him the Angelic Doctor. His thought remains central in Catholic theology, philosophy, ethics, and education.

Read one short section of the Summa slowly, especially on God, virtue, prayer, or the Eucharist. Follow Thomas's example by beginning study with prayer and using knowledge to love God more faithfully.