"Tot miraculis, quot articulis"

Incidentally, today is the commemoration of Thomas Aquinas, probably my favourite theologian ever, partly because he's just straightforwardly brilliant*, and was never afraid to engage with secular learning and use it in the pursuit of truth, even when it looked like a challenge to faith, but also because, as a good Dominican, his theology is always connected to the preaching of the Gospel and the service of others, and to prayer - his last prayer, on his deathbed, was "I receive Thee, ransom of my soul. For love of Thee have I studied and kept vigil, toiled, preached and taught..."

As well as being patron saint of theologians, academics, philosophers, book sellers, and pencil makers(!) he is, for some reason, invoked against lightening.

(Blessed Thomas, pray for us).


* "Tot miraculis, quot articulis" - there are as many miracles as there are articles - replied a Dominican at Thomas' canonisation trial to the Devil's Advocate's objection that Thomas had worked no miracles. While I don't agree with every conclusion Thomas came to, he is a superb reasoner and always worth engaging with.