Brief Background:



St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) was a Dominican priest, theologian, and one of the greatest teachers in the history of the Church. Born in Italy, he devoted his life to studying, teaching, and explaining the faith, showing how faith and reason work together rather than oppose each other. His most famous work, the Summa Theologiae, remains a foundation for Catholic theology to this day. Near the end of his life, after a profound experience of prayer, he realized that all human words fall short of the mystery of God, leading to his famous statement that all he had written seemed like “straw” compared to what God had revealed to him. St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of students, teachers, universities, and scholars, reminding us that true learning should always lead us closer to God with humility and wonder.

REFLECTION:

I love St. Thomas Aquinas. I have used his teachings in many of my homilies, in the classroom, in the confessional, and even in everyday conversations. There is something about his way of thinking that helps people see more clearly, not only who God is, but who we are before God. And yet, what I love most about St. Thomas is not just his brilliance, but his humility.

St. Thomas Aquinas is remembered as one of the greatest minds in the history of the Church, a man who spent his life studying, teaching, and writing about God. Yet near the end of his life, after a profound experience of prayer, he said something surprising: “All that I have written seems like straw compared with what has now been revealed to me.” These words echo the wisdom of Scripture: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This “fear” is not about being afraid of God, but about standing in awe before Him—recognizing that God is God and we are not, and that everything we know and have is a gift.

In today’s Gospel (Mark 4:1–20), Jesus speaks of the Word of God as a seed that is generously sown, but not every heart receives it in the same way. Some hearts are like the path, where the word never has a chance to take root. Some are like rocky ground, where faith is shallow and fades when things become difficult. Some are like thorny soil, where worries, distractions, and busyness slowly choke the life out of what God is trying to grow. And some hearts are like rich soil, where the word sinks deep, grows strong, and bears great fruit.

St. Thomas shows us what good soil looks like. His intelligence did not make him proud; it made him more humble. The more he learned, the more he realized how much greater God is. He did not stop at knowing about God—he allowed God’s Word to shape his heart, his priorities, and his life. That is what true wisdom looks like.

This Gospel and the life of St. Thomas offer a gentle but important challenge to all of us. To our parishioners: make space each day for God’s Word, even if only for a few quiet minutes—good soil is cultivated slowly and faithfully. To our faculty and staff: remember that you are not only teaching subjects or doing a job—you are helping form hearts, and your words, attitudes, and example either prepare the soil or harden it. And to our students: don’t be afraid to take your faith seriously; real wisdom is not just getting good grades, but learning how to listen to God and trust Him with your life.

In the end, the question Jesus asks us is simple and personal: What kind of soil am I today? May we ask for the grace to grow in that holy “fear of the Lord,” to become truly wise, and—like St. Thomas Aquinas—to let God’s Word take root in us and bear fruit that will last.