St. Thomas Aquinas Biography

You may know St. Thomas Aquinas, but what was he like? What was in him that many universities decided to carry the name of the popular saint? St. Thomas Aquinas was born between 1224 to 1225 in Roccasecca, Italy. Even before being born, a holy hermit named Bonas has already predicted that he will become great one day. He came from a wealthy Italian ruling family. His father, Londop, is the Count of Aquino, and his mother, Theodora, is the Countess of Teano. He has eight siblings and he is the youngest among them, but had three stepbrothers by the first marriage of his father. He received his primary education from the Benedictines of the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino, and was expected to be a Benedictine abbot one day. But when he attended the University of Naples, he had a change of heart and decided to enter the Dominican Order, much to the chagrin of his family. To discourage Thomas to pursue his plans to be a Dominican, his brothers seized him and put him under house arrest. They even hired a woman of ill repute to seduce him, but their efforts were futile. After almost a year, he was given the freedom to pursue his studies and to become a Dominican friar. Thomas was under the tutelage of Saint Albert the Great. In class, he was often silent during discussions, and his bulky figure became the joke of his classmates and called him the dumb ox. But Saint Albert came to his defense and said, True enough, Thomas emerged as an exemplary scholar. His great devotion to God made him travel, write, teach, and preach on different places as a doctor in Sacred Theology and as a preacher general. As a great philosopher and theologian, he wrote several books, including Summa Theologica, his greatest work. Summa Theologica is a four-volume book divided into four parts, which serves as a manual for beginners about the main theological teachings during their time. Because of his works, he rose to public acclaim and gained followers among the Dominicans. In one of his many mystical visions, a sacristan heard a crucifix spoke to him this way, To which Saint Thomas Aquinas replied, What may be regarded as the last of his mystical experiences that proved to be fateful occurred on December 6, 1273, in which it took him longer to finish a public Mass. He told later his pastoral secretary, Sensing that he was about to die, he consented to go with a group of Cistercian back to their monastery in Fosanova, where he died eventually. Where he surrendered his life, saying, Saint Thomas may have lived a peaceful life, but he also has his shares of ups and downs. Despite of what he has gone through, his great love and devotion for God stood firm. That is why he was able to write so well about God, which became an instrument to illuminate the minds of people and fire their hearts with virtues. As his teachings reached places, he remained humble because he knew that his gifts came from God and not on his own skills. And that is why his works are still relevant and significant up to this day. As the patron saint of students, let us seek Saint Thomas Aquinas' guidance and be inspired to live a life of faithfulness and love to God.