Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas

Good morning. Today is in my opinion a major feast day in the calendar of the Church.  We celebrate today the good life, gifts and works of Saint Thomas Aquinas. He was not only responsible for defining much of what we know to be Church Doctrine, but his philosophical works are responsible for having defined much of western thought.  In today’s Gospel (Mk 4:26-34) Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed. We are told the mustard seed offers much potential for bearing a bountiful and wholesome harvest. The lesson we gather from this parable is that the outcome of our life’s harvest is ultimately determined by us.  In the words of Saint Thomas we are to do good and avoid evil, and the choice we make will determine what type of harvest our life brings.  Thomas goes further to suggest that all other precepts of natural law are based upon our understanding of the need to choose good over evil.  It doesn’t take a major thinker like Saint Thomas to see where this primary precept applies to the various areas of our lives.  As in the parable in Mark’s Gospel for today, the seed is planted but each of us will determine through the choices we make what the outcome of the harvest will be.  This certainly applies to our marriage; the marriage will only be as good as what we are willing to put into it.  As I’ve spoken of before, too often folks think that love is something that either is or it isn’t, that it is something that just happens.  In the words of the singer Paul McCartney this sort of thinking likely comes from too many Silly Love Songs. A prime example of this love just happening can be seen in the lyrics of this song by the former Beatle.  Truth be known, love doesn’t always feel loving and love doesn’t just happen, and it certainly “doesn’t come in a minute”, we choose it to happen; love is a willful decision.  When we make the right choices in our relationship then the loving feelings follow, as in the parable our harvest will be determined by the choices we make.  What choices will you make for your marriage today?  Make a great day!

Today we recall the good life, gifts and works of Saint Thomas Aquinas, doctor of the Church.