We introduce the theme if this morning of reflection: St Thomas Aquinas as a Spiritual Master or Master of Spiritual Theology.
Listen online [here]!
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Pre
Advent Retreat 2024
St Thomas
Aquinas: Spiritual Master
Talk
1: Was St Thomas a Spiritual Master?
Was St Thomas Aquinas a Master of Spiritual Theology? Was he a
spiritual master?
What do we mean by “master”?
and What do we mean by “spiritual” or “spiritual theology”?
Master is today thought of in the master/slave relationship.
An idea of authority and domination.
This is not exactly what we mean here.
Master can also be used to refer to the expert in a particular
field. For example: A masters degree MA.
Or a master in Chess – international master (IM), grandmaster (GM), and now
people even speak of super grandmasters (super GM).
This is more what we mean.
The word master in Latin can be either magister or dominus.
And this highlights the distinction. A
magister master is a teacher. A dominus
master is a lord. St Jerome always (or
nearly always) uses magister to translate the Greek didaskalos
(teacher); and he uses dominus to translate the Greek kyrios (lord).
This is all instructive because magister points to wisdom and
the handing on of wisdom – a master is an expert who teaches others.
The master is who is lord or ruler is rather a reference to
authority and power, and even domination (which comes from Latin dominus).
How, then, is St Thomas a “master”? Clearly not merely as an
authority figure who dominates over all others!
Rather, he is a magister, a master who possesses great wisdom and hands
this wisdom on to others as a teacher. He is a light of wisdom who enlightens
the whole Church!
This is why I love St Thomas so much – not simply as an
authority figure, but as the wise teacher. And this wisdom is what then gives
him authority – which is why it is so sad to see that many push back against
Thomism.
Second question: What do we mean by “spiritual” or
“spirituality” or “spiritual theology”?
Spirituality is that life in the Spirit as children of God the
Father in Christ Jesus.
Spirituality can also refer to the spiritual teachings of the
saints or religious orders/movements. This is what we mean by the “spirituality
of St John of the Cross” or “of St Teresa” or “of St Francis de Sales.” Also, we speak of “Dominican Spirituality” or
“Carmelite Spirituality” or “Benedictine” or “Franciscan Spirituality”.
“Spiritual Theology” then, is the study of the spirituality of
the saints (how they lived their lives) or even more the study of the spiritual
teachings of the saints.
But St Thomas Aquinas never wrote a treatise on spirituality,
nor less a commentary on the spiritual writing of the saints. He never speaks
of his own spiritual life – but remains very hidden. He rarely gives any
commentary on the lives of the saints – a few exceptions, like discussing how
the conversion of St Paul or St Mary Magdalene can be called a “miracle”.
And yet, we maintain that he is a spiritual master and a
master of spiritual theology!
For example, how can one who writes the following lines not be
considered a sure guide and source of wisdom for the spiritual life?
“Just as some call hunting or friendship with a certain person
‘their life’ because it is their passion for hunting or for communion with
their friend that moves them to act and guides all that they do, so too Christ
is our life because the whole principle of our life and activity is
Christ.”
St Thomas’ moral theology as well as his doctrine of grace
give a foundation for all spirituality. The universal call to holiness and to
Christian Perfection.
St Thomas’ dogmatic theology focuses us on God and the mystery
of the Trinity as the source of all existence, and on the life of Christ as the
means by which we come back to the God who made us. Thomas’ vision is Theocentric and
Christocentric – which is so necessary especially today!
And, if it is true that his own spiritual life is hidden from
us – as Isaiah said, Secretum meum mihi – yet, his Eucharistic hymns give us a
glimpse into his mystical reflections.
Let’s look at the structure of the Summa Theologica, and see
what this Spiritual Master is teaching us!
Exitus/Reditus – the whole of the Summa is structured on the
going forth of creatures from God and their return to Him.
“Because the chief aim of sacred doctrine is to teach the
knowledge of God, not only as he is in himself, but also as he is the beginning
of things and their last end, and especially of rational creatures, …
therefore, in our endeavor to expound this science, we shall treat: 1. Of God;
2. Of the rational creature’s advance to God; 3. Of Christ, who as man, is our
way to God.” (opening of the Summa, ST
I, q.2).
For St Thomas, the whole study of theology is the study of
man’s salvation in Christ!
Or again, when Thomas considers morals or ethics, how does he
begin? He does not start with Law, nor with Conscience. Rather, “What is happiness?”
All of moral theology (and therefore, spiritual theology) is
the study of what is truly conducive to man’s happiness! This has a huge impact on what we think about
the commandments, about the laws of the Church, about penance, about vocational
discernment, etc!
Or again, in the second part of the second part, St Thomas
discusses particular morals – he does not organize this in terms of the
commandments, but rather by the theological and cardinal virtues. Not focused
on Law (even Divine Law), nor focused on what NOT to do, nor especially focused
on vice and sin – rather, it is virtue which organizes all! And the greatest virtue is charity.
Finally, the third part contains a whole treatise on the life
of Christ. Thomas is deeply rooted in Scripture. In fact, his greatest work in life was
teaching classes on the books of the Bible!
He is the greatest Bible Scholar in the history of the Church – and this
was his title in life, Magister in Sacra Scriptura!
