4th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024

Fear is such a powerful emotion for humans that when we allow it to take us over, it drives compassion right out of our hearts. — St. Thomas Aquinas

On this feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, let us remember not only the towering intellect which gave us such understanding of Christ that the Savior Himself appeared to St. Thomas to commend his writing. Let us also remember the heart which so loved God that he never abandoned his simple and awe-filled reverence for our Eucharistic Lord—for St. Thomas could not have contemplated the enormity of God in His creation if he could not first contemplate the humility of God Who poured His immensity into bread for us. As St. John writes in his first epistle, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

All the powerful intellect, the immensity of theological knowledge, the eloquence of Aquinas could not have made him the Angelic Doctor—for Satan surely masters him in all these categories, being of perfect intellect and knowledge and possessing the eloquence of the Master of Deceit and Father of Lies. What makes Aquinas is his simple obedience, his love of brother, and his love of God. In face of all the facts of the evils of this world and its seemingly insurmountable depravity—St. Thomas, in simple love of Christ, undertook the labors of facing that daunting challenge and illuminating it with the light of Christ. The world rules by fear—the only remedy is the purity of love; fear preys on the insecurity of self—love subordinates self into the security of the Beloved. Let us reflect on St. Thomas, then, as the man whose love illumined the darkness through his intellect, driven by a will fueled by the simple, humble love expressed in his Eucharistic hymns:



Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,

Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,

See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart

Lost, all lost in wonder at the God Thou art.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in Thee deceived:

How says trusty hearing? That shall be believed;

What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;

Truth himself speaks truly, else is nothing true.

On the cross Thy Godhead made no sign to men,

Here Thy very manhood steals from human ken:

Both are my confession, both are my belief,

And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,

But can plainly call thee Lord and God as he;

Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,

Daily give me harder hope and a dearer love.

O Thou our reminder of Christ crucified,

Living Bread, the life of us for whom He dearly died,

Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,

There be Thou the sweetness man was meant to find.

Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican;

Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what Thy bosom ran---

Blood, whereof a single drop has all pow’r to win

All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

Jesu, Whom mine eye doth meet shrouded here below,

I beseech Thee, sendeth what I thirst for so,

Some day to gaze upon Thee face to face in light

And be blest for ever with Thy glory's sight.

Amen.