SUMMON BONUM

Hebrews 10:11-18; PS 110  You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek; Mark 4:1-12

Today we celebrate the feast of St Thomas Aquinas, doctor of the church, Dominican Friar, Theologian, philosopher but above all a seeker of the "Summon Bonum" or the greatest Good.

Thomas is a lover of God.  He recognized that it wasn't enough to know about God but rather one must know Him for he alone is our ultimate end.  Everything pointed toward this reality.  The ultimate reason we must become holy is that that is the only way to become real for being real is union with God.

Happiness for Thomas is not about subjective contentment but it is about perfection and perfection is achieving the purpose for which we were created: union with God.

Too often we lose sight of this.  We think happiness is about subjective contentment (feelings) which is counterfeit theology and we lose sight that it is about perfection: be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.  Everything in life can aid us in becoming perfected.

Here is a truth that we can live on:  The self that wants above all things to be forever bound to God and His will in eternity also wants to be free from him at the present moment to do its own will.  Our wills are divided.  We love our Father in heaven but we are rebellious kids.  We are stubborn, silly, selfish, sinful and even stupid at times so says Peter Kreeft as a summary of Thomas Aquinas' teachings.   This is also a summary of St Paul's thought in Romans ch 7 where he states we do what we don't want to do and what we want to do we don't do.  We need the mind to educate and enlighten the will as a traveler needs a map.

This is what Thomas Aquinas set out to do in his writings.  And it is a good example for the rest of us to follow.  How do we educate our minds so as to enlighten our wills so that we may want what God wants and move along this journey we call life?

We must by God's grace and our effort  allow our will out of necessity to adhere to the last end, which is happiness an let this desire purify all others.  The more w know the more we love and love is the root of desire.

How do we do this?  We need to practice the presence of God, the goodness of God, the trustability of God, the beauty of God.  We need to make it a habit daily to say "Father, I trust you."  We need to brings ourselves before the presence of God and what better way than spend time before the Blessed Sacrament which is the par excellence presence of Jesus himself on Earth for us.   W need to grow in knowledge of God and what he has revealed.  Knowledge affects love.  Thus we can begin out of joyful necessity to want what God wants on this journey of life and seek the Summon Bonum: the greatest good.

As we celebrate the feast of St Thomas, just a few thoughts to linger with.