How Do We Best Understand St. Thomas Aquinas? — Bishop Barron on Vatican II

Friends, ever since I was a young man and throughout my academic career, my touchstone has always been the great St. Thomas Aquinas. I hold to an "open Thomism," one that welcomes Augustinianism, Bonaventurian thought, and contemporary thinkers like Newman, Balthasar, and Ratzinger. To incorporate these frameworks together is to follow a very integrated Catholic spirit.

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[angelicdoctor]

I would say this is the core of Taylor Marshall's problem - rigid Thomism, which cannot be supported even by Thomas himself. The Church does not teach "Thomism only", but rather is informed by expressions of truth from many views and perspectives. Taylor was enamored with Aquinas upon his conversion from Anglicanism, and rightly so. But Taylor even still lacks that wider Catholic wisdom that sees truth not only in Thomas, but beyond Thomas who said of his own writing, after his vision from Christ: "everything I have written seems to me like straw". Let us pray for Taylor that he stops leading people away from the FULLNESS of the Catholic Faith.

[nicksterwixter]

I highly doubt that Aquinas himself would say this his work was the end all be all of Catholic theology and I don't think we should treat is a such either. There's absolutely room for acknowledging the profound insight of Aquinas and the unbelievable debt we owe him for showing how faith and classical reason could work in harmony. And he's still extremely relevant today. But it's silly to think his methods are the only reliable way of gaining theological insight.

[JohnR.T.B.]

What the Book of Genesis is actually telling, may be summed up as follow:

"Do not invite death by the error of your life,
or bring on destruction by the works of your hands;
because God did not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the living.
For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
For righteousness is immortal."
~ Wisdom 1 :12-15 ~

[Surge_Sursus]

Honest question: How many of you have read at least one full question (i.e. all the articles contained in that question) of the Summa Theologia?

[Retrogamer]

What I love about the Catholic institution is that virtue is not singularly focussed on charity and courage, but has another locus of interest in developing human excellence of intellect.

[JesusIsLove]

Praise the Lord Jesus Christ 🙏 Mother Mary Pray For Us 🙏Abba Father Bless us and we Adore You 🙏

[Gramma_Holly]

I love that Catholicism is a smart religion!

[constantdoodle]

I haven't finished it yet but agustins confessions is one of the most beautiful honest books I've ever read.

[decluesviews]

I agree with this. I did a video on the Place of St. Thomas Aquinas in Theology. I think he is indispensable, but so are others. His contemporary, St. Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor, comes to mind. The many great Eastern Fathers as well as the Western Fathers. One of the things that made St. Thomas so great was his commitment to reading the breadth of the Tradition and incorporating it into his own Theology. As Aeterni Patris says, we should follow that method as well. Being a great Thomist requires looking at other great Catholic thinkers as well: St. Thomas did and would if he were here today.

[Richie]

Bishop's remarks on understanding St. Thomas Aquinas are exalting .😇

[johnpro]

Tom was smart for his day..but he was operating in a very backward society, eg scientifically, medically and human rights (slaves were ok, women were house keepkeepers)
We need to move on and get a new religious hero if possible..amen

[karuppupetti]

Really st Thomas went india and die there? Because many indian Christian said like that, anyone kindly explain

[josephbeauchamp]

I believe that St. Thomas is the Church's philosophical touchstone. In this regard, Pope St. Pius X taught the following:

"Further let Professors remember that they cannot set St. Thomas aside, especially in metaphysical questions, without grave detriment" (Pascendi Dominici Gregis, no. 45).

Thomistic metaphysics is both necessary and indispensable to our defense of God's existence and attributes, the possibility of miracles, human nature, and the natural law. Ite ad Thomam.

[BosMutusCatholic]

"The study of philosophy is not that we may know what men have thought, but what the truth of things is." - St. Thomas Aquinas. I worry that an openness to various 'systems' and traditions merely brackets one from the truth of things. Phenomenology is fine as a method, but some systems proposed even by towering Catholic thinkers have been harmful. I'm thinking of Ockham's nominalism.

[ruikleber]

Will those academic classes about Thomas be available on the internet? Can we watch them?

[aisthpaoitht]

Most Thomists are too closed off. They live in their little bubble with their own language and act like Thomism is dogma. Nonsense.

[Jorge_Magallon]

... by re-reading him many times before we understand him? I enjoy his words, however it’s so profound and dense at times it is definitely something you have to both study and upon which you must .meditate

[marcussmall]

What someone like Scotus who daringly, I think, suggests the incarnation is not a response to the fall, but always in the will of God from eternity?

[duosythe]

We must not be wise or prudent according to the flesh, but simple, humble, and pure. More than this, we must despise our bodies, because, on account of our sins, we are all of us miserable and corrupt. - Saint Francis of Assisi


This something I cannot get behind. I’m not trying to be a contrarian, but our bodies our a gift from our Heavenly Father. No we shouldn’t be vain but we should be good stewards of our vehicles.

[Fantsmacle]

Please make a video on the importance of wearing masks. Your word here would help make a difference. I hear so many people argue that they will not wear a mask and they mention how they will not "Fear". Please talk about "fear" as defined by Aquinas and that wearing a mask is in accordance to the teachings of Aquinas and the church.