Tag Archives: Aquinas

“’Tis one thing to be tempted, another thing to fall.”: Why we are Tempted

Posted on March 11, 2019 by

Saint Luke begins the story about Our Lord’s temptation in the desert saying, [1] And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the desert, [2] For the space of forty days; and … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas, Catena Aurea, Lord's Prayer, Temptation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Most Important Virtues That No One Talks About.

Posted on June 29, 2018 by

Sometimes I wonder if the stories that we have all heard concerning saints who did not appear to be intellectually gifted might mislead many people into thinking that sanctity does not require any special focus on the development of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas, catholic education, liberal education, truth for its own sake, virtue | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Get Those Animals Out of My House!

Posted on March 3, 2018 by

According to the Evangelists, Our Lord cleansed the Temple on at least two occasions. St. John describes the first cleansing as having occurred directly after the remarkable miracle in which He saved the day at the wedding reception at Cana. … Continue reading →

Posted in Catena Aurea, Origen, passions | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Did You Know That Drinking Milk Is An Excellent Preparation For Eating Meat?

Posted on November 9, 2017 by

Sometimes St. Paul seems downright condescending! For whereas for the time you ought to be masters, you have need to be taught again what are the first elements of the words of God: and you are become such as have … Continue reading →

Posted in aeschylus, Aquinas, Augustine, catholic education, Heraclitus, Homer, Sacred Doctrine, Socrates | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Newsflash: Just Because You Know What Virtue is Does Not Mean You are Virtuous.

Posted on May 21, 2017 by

Now I know that there are many of you who are just naturally charitable.  You easily empathize with the suffering of others and you have a spontaneous instinct to do anything you can to help others carry their crosses and … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas, Augustine, liberal education, Newman, Sacred Doctrine | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Do Your Children Know the Ten Commandments?

Posted on May 4, 2017 by

Every couple of years I have the opportunity to teach a course on the Ten Commandments to High School seniors and juniors. I always try to start the course with a one-question pop quiz that looks like this: Write down the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas, Augustine, Decalogue, Sacred Doctrine, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Did you know that our Lord’s death was a miracle?

Posted on April 14, 2017 by

After suffering such a terrible passion, I must confess I never thought our Lord’s death was something out of the ordinary course of nature. The question in my mind was why did Jesus not die sooner than he did? The … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas, Easter, The Passion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Did Jesus Really Become Sorrowful?

Posted on April 9, 2017 by

See, O Lord, and consider, for I am become vile… O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow: Thus Jeremiah laments at the time of the Babylonian captivity, nonetheless, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas, Augustine, Catena Aurea, Sacred Doctrine, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The privilege of teaching The Ten Commandments

Posted on April 2, 2015 by

Every couple of years I have the opportunity to teach a course on the commandments. I love this course. Happy is the teacher to whom such a task is assigned! As a matter of fact I feel just a little like … Continue reading →

Posted in Decalogue, Heraclitus, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Wisely and Slow: Salutary Advice For Students In The New Year

Posted on January 1, 2014 by

ROMEO O, let us hence; I stand on sudden haste. FRIAR LAURENCE Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast. Students in general grow impatient with the advice of Friar Laurence. I don’t blame them. I, too, sometimes find myself wanting answers … Continue reading →

Posted in classical education, Liberal Arts, Mathematics | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments