Saint Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225. He died on March 7, 1274. He was canonized in 1323. This marks 800 years since his birth, a little over 700 years since his canonization and 750 years since his death. In 1567 Pope Saint Pius V declared him Doctor of the Church. Since then, many Supreme Pontiffs have recommended his philosophical and theological thought. Saint Thomas is the most valued and most recommended thinker by the Magisterium of the Church. Catholic thinkers, philosophers and theologians have Saint Thomas as their main guide.
In 1879 Pope Leo XIII published the encyclical “Aeterni Patris” to restore Thomism. There he declared him patron of all studies and affirmed that the philosophy of Saint Thomas will be a powerful stimulus to tackle the evils of the present world at the root.
In 1914 Pope Saint Pius X in the motu proprio “Doctoris Angelici” ordered the adoption of “The Summa Theologica” of Saint Thomas for the teaching of Theology and pointed out that the basic principles of the philosophy of Saint Thomas must be considered the foundations on which all our knowledge of the human and the divine is based, as well as that departing from the footsteps of Saint Thomas, mainly in metaphysics, will not be without serious detriment. That year, by his order, the Sacred Congregation of Studies published the twenty-four Thomistic theses, which contain the list of the essential propositions of the philosophy of Saint Thomas.
In 1914 Pope Benedict XV declared that the philosophy of Saint Thomas is the “philosophy according to Christ.” During his pontificate, in 1917, the Code of Canon Law was promulgated. Canon 1366 states: “Teachers are to expound rational philosophy and theology and to inform students in these disciplines, adhering completely to the method, system and principles of the Angelic Doctor and following them with complete fidelity.”
In 1923, in the encyclical “Studiorum Ducem,” Pope Pius XI named St. Thomas “Guide of Studies,” gave him the title of “Doctor Communis” and stated that he is “Universal Doctor, since the Church has made his doctrine her own,” and concluded: “Go to Thomas.” In 1931, in the apostolic constitution “Deus Scientiarum Dominus” he prescribed: “Scholastic philosophy should be taught in the Faculties of Philosophy, in such a way that the listeners are formed in a complete and coherent synthesis of doctrine according to the method and principles of Saint Thomas. The other philosophical systems should be examined and judged according to this doctrine.”
In 1942, the Venerable Pope Pius XII affirmed: Saint Thomas “must be followed with all fidelity as their teacher and guide, as ordered by the Code of Canon Law, never forgetting that the doctrine of Saint Thomas contains a singular vigor and an extraordinary power to heal the evils that afflict our time.”
The sacred Second Vatican Council recommends the teaching of Saint Thomas. He affirms that studies must be cultivated “in the footsteps of the doctors of the Church, especially of Saint Thomas Aquinas” and that “Philosophical disciplines must be taught […] supported by the always valid philosophical patrimony” and also that speculations must be presented following the teachings of Saint Thomas.
In 1965, Pope Saint Paul VI affirmed: “the philosophy of Saint Thomas has a permanent aptitude to guide the human spirit to the knowledge of the truth […]. This permanent value of Thomistic metaphysics explains the attitude of the ecclesiastical Magisterium regarding it. […]. […] we continue to recommend the work of Saint Thomas as a sure norm of Christian teaching.” In 1974, he affirmed: the teachings of Saint Thomas are still valid and current. That year, in his letter “Lumen Ecclesiae”, he showed the perennial values of the doctrine and method of Saint Thomas and presented him as an example for our time.
In 1980, Pope Saint John Paul II called Saint Thomas “Doctor humanitatis” because he saw in him the teacher that modern humanity needs. During his pontificate, in 1983, the current Code of Canon Law was promulgated, which recommends the thought of Saint Thomas and states that the philosophy and theology of the Angelic Doctor cannot be renounced. Canon 251 states: “Philosophical formation must be based on the heritage of perennial philosophy.” Canon 252 states: “There must be classes of dogmatic theology […] in which students may come to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of salvation, having Saint Thomas as their principal teacher.”
In his 1998 encyclical “Fides et ratio”, John Paul II the Great recalled that there is no philosophy that is the “official philosophy of the Church, since faith as such is not a philosophy.” Thus, “The Church does not propose a philosophy of her own, nor does she canonize a particular philosophy […].” The same can be said of theology. At the same time, he reaffirms the value and relevance of the thought of Saint Thomas, whom he describes as “an apostle of truth.” He states: “Saint Thomas loved the truth selflessly. He sought it wherever it could be manifested, highlighting its universality to the utmost. The Magisterium of the Church has seen and appreciated in him a passion for truth; his thought, by always keeping within the horizon of universal, objective and transcendent truth […]. His philosophy is truly the philosophy of being and not of mere appearance.” It is a philosophy open to all reality, both natural reality and supernatural reality. He also affirms that in Saint Thomas “heights were reached that human intelligence could never have imagined” and that his thought is “the highest synthesis that thought has ever reached.” Likewise, for this reason, his thought has an “incomparable value” and represents, ultimately, a “perennial novelty.”
Pope Francis has affirmed that Saint Thomas is “the most illustrious Doctor of Holiness and the study of sacred doctrine.”
In conclusion: Go to the Angelic Doctor. That is, go to Thomas.
