Aquinas On The Religious State

[Deus te Amat]

A short (100 pgs), comparatively "easy" read. I'm writing a reflection paper on this work for my theology class, and I HIGHLY SUGGEST this work for anyone considering the religious life. I am LOVING it.


[url]http://dhspriory.org/thomas/PerfectVitaeSpir.htm[/url]


If you read it, and want to read my paper afterwards, lemme know!

Edited February 3, 2012 by Deus_te_Amat

[Deus te Amat]

Also, if you skip the section on the episcopate, it's really only 70ish pages! SO worth it!

[BarbTherese]

Cut and pasted the suggestion sections and in Word 2010 with Header covered 35 pagees in 14point. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you very much for the suggestion. The Title of the document is:

"[u][b]The Perfection of [color=#ff0000]The Spiritual Life[/color][/b][/u]" by Thomas Aquinas
translated by John Procter OP under the title "The Religious State, the Episcopate and The Priestly Office"
Language somewhat revised by Joseph Kenny OP
I am hoping it may have appeal to more than those in religious life (or discerning it) due to the title by Thomas Aquinas. I
- am neither in religious life nor discerning - rather private vows to the evangelical counsels in the lay celibate state with spiritual direction over 35 yrs now.

Would be interested in a discussion on the document by St Thomas.

Will send you a PM, DTA, if after a prayerful read and ponder, I would like to read also your paper and thank you very much for the offer.

God bless and thanks again - regards - Barb

[HopefulBride]

skimmed through it while I was saving it and I'm exciiiiiited.

[Lisa]

looking forward to reading it!

[franciscanheart]

I love St. Thomas Aquinas

[Deus te Amat]

Tell me you read that one book, at least.

[inperpetuity]

"Go To Thomas" - He's a genius. Will definitely read this. Thanks for posting it.

Edited February 4, 2012 by inperpetuity

[Deus te Amat]

I just have to say that the best paper writing is done with a bag of these by your chair. No wonder Aquinas was so large!

[img]https://www.drexeliuschocolates.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/ReesesMinis1.jpg[/img]

[Lisa]

M&M's are my productivity source!

Edited February 6, 2012 by Lisa

[seraphic000]

Of course St. Thomas gives a shout-out to his fellow friars by saying that the most perfect vocation is [i]contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere, "to contemplate and share with others the fruits of contemplation." [/i]

Do you think St. Thomas is right? Of course, opinions will vary. A Jesuit would extol promoting social justice and a more active apostolate in the world as the highest vocation; a diocesan priest would say humbly walking with lay people is the greatest vocation; a contemplative would say being enclosed from the world and focusing on prayer and praising God is the best way.

I hate to sound like a raging, foaming-at-the-mouth subjectivist, and I am by no means implying that there is no such thing as an objectively greater life dedicated to God. Perhaps St. Thomas is correct; I would say we do need also to consider that not everyone is subjectively suited for certain apostolates, so we can certainly speak of a vocation that is the best [i]for a certain person[/i]. But do you think we can speak of an objectively higher calling out of all callings?

Pax +

[Deus te Amat]

[quote name='seraphic000' timestamp='1328640278' post='2383094']
Of course St. Thomas gives a shout-out to his fellow friars by saying that the most perfect vocation is [i]contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere, "to contemplate and share with others the fruits of contemplation." [/i]

Do you think St. Thomas is right? Of course, opinions will vary. A Jesuit would extol promoting social justice and a more active apostolate in the world as the highest vocation; a diocesan priest would say humbly walking with lay people is the greatest vocation; a contemplative would say being enclosed from the world and focusing on prayer and praising God is the best way.

I hate to sound like a raging, foaming-at-the-mouth subjectivist, and I am by no means implying that there is no such thing as an objectively greater life dedicated to God. Perhaps St. Thomas is correct; I would say we do need also to consider that not everyone is subjectively suited for certain apostolates, so we can certainly speak of a vocation that is the best [i]for a certain person[/i]. But do you think we can speak of an objectively higher calling out of all callings?

Pax +
[/quote]

That question is precisely what I wrote my paper on. I'd be more than happy to send it to you if you'd like -- I'd rather wait until it's graded before posting anything here, so as to avoid any hint of plagarism.

But to put it simply, yes.

[Amy G.]

[quote name='seraphic000' timestamp='1328640278' post='2383094']
Of course St. Thomas gives a shout-out to his fellow friars by saying that the most perfect vocation is [i]contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere, "to contemplate and share with others the fruits of contemplation." [/i]

Do you think St. Thomas is right? Of course, opinions will vary. A Jesuit would extol promoting social justice and a more active apostolate in the world as the highest vocation; a diocesan priest would say humbly walking with lay people is the greatest vocation; a contemplative would say being enclosed from the world and focusing on prayer and praising God is the best way.

I hate to sound like a raging, foaming-at-the-mouth subjectivist, and I am by no means implying that there is no such thing as an objectively greater life dedicated to God. Perhaps St. Thomas is correct; I would say we do need also to consider that not everyone is subjectively suited for certain apostolates, so we can certainly speak of a vocation that is the best [i]for a certain person[/i]. But do you think we can speak of an objectively higher calling out of all callings?

Pax +
[/quote]

[size=3]Aquinas writes about the active religious life and the contemplative religious life in the Secunda Secundae of his Summa. I think this is the section you're referencing. I read the section on this topic a while back, and it didn't make much sense to me! I finally got some clarification on the issue from one of my Dominican professors (He is the papal theologian - Fr. Giertych, O.P. [url="http://www.op-stjose...pal_theologian/"][color=#ff0000]http://www.op-stjose...pal_theologian/[/color][/url] ) I thought I'd share what he had to say about this question in the Summa! [/size]

[size=3][b]"Better to illuminate than merely to shine; to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate."[/b] (Thomas Aquinas, Summa, II-II, Question 188)[/size]

[size=3]Father Giertych said that the word contemplation (Latin, [i]contemplatio[/i]) used by Thomas in the 13[sup]th[/sup] century did not have the same meaning that we attach to it today. It wasn't until the 16[sup]th[/sup] century with the writings of the Carmelites St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross that the word 'contemplation' began to be used to refer to contemplative prayer as a personal, "heart to heart" encounter with God. Thomas used the words contemplation/speculation/meditation interchangeably. What he meant by contemplation was a study, a thought process, a rational speculation, an intuition of truth about God. Of course, for Thomas, this search for truth is also a search for God is and integrated with his prayer life. Father advised,when reading Thomas' question on the active and contemplative religious life, we should translate "contemplative" with the word "academic" - a religious life in which study plays a central role. [/size]

[size=3]So Aquinas is telling us that if we study theology, we should deliver to others this truth we have arrived at through our study. This is, after all, one of the major interests of the Dominican order - the preaching of the truth![/size]

[Deus te Amat]

I can't give the above enough props. We should form an Aquinas fan club.

To be clear, Aquinas wasn't arguing that the DOMINICAN spirituality was higher than the other orders, rather that the religious vocation itself is higher than the married life.

A quote from the Summa Contra Gentiles (book 4, chapter 54, paragraph 5)

[quote]
Since man's perfect beatitude consists in the enjoyment of divinity, man's love had to be disposed toward a desire for the enjoyment of divinity, as we see that there is naturally in man a desire for beatitude. But the desire to enjoy anything is caused by love of that thing. Therefore, man, tending to perfect beatitude, needed inducement to the divine love. Nothing, of course, so induces us to love one as the experience of his love for us. But God's love for men could be demonstrated to man in no way more effective than this: He willed to be united to man in person, for it is proper to love to unite the lover with the beloved so far as possible. Therefore, it was necessary for man tending to perfect beatitude that God become man.
[/quote]

The religious state is inherently higher than a worldly life because, in it, man responds to God's love with the entire gift of himself. The nature of the religious life itself seeks nothing more than to "unite the lover with the beloved", and the canonical vows form the most perfect means of doing so by conforming man to God's charity.

[LaPetiteSoeur]

[quote name='Deus_te_Amat' timestamp='1328478296' post='2381677']
I just have to say that the best paper writing is done with a bag of these by your chair. No wonder Aquinas was so large!

[img]https://www.drexeliuschocolates.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/ReesesMinis1.jpg[/img]
[/quote]

These and tea are the best ways to finish a paper!