“Following your ‘call’ can frustrate your friends and family

by Sr Joel Christoph ~ January 28, 2008

Homily given on the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas

Gospel: Mark 3:31-35

 

“Son, please come home. People are talking. This itinerant life is taking a toll on you. You have to take care of yourself…rest for awhile and have a good meal. I know our God has special plans for you but I’m worried about some of your choices.  Will you come with me now?”

Those are the possible words of a mother. Was it Mary standing at the door of the house in Capernaum or was it Theodora of Aquino pursuing her Dominican son? Both women loved their sons, supported their vocations but feared for their lives.

An Angel came to Mary’s home to tell her the holy offspring born of her would be the Son of God. Theodora was visited by a holy hermit who lived in the mountains near her family castle. He told her her unborn son would be great in sanctity and learning. Both women were in awe. God entrusted them with great responsibility. Some days they couldn’t help but worry.

Mary pondered everything her child said and did and Theodora was amazed at her boy’s behavior.. At three he and his sister slept in a room over the stables. One night lightning struck the tower killing the cattle and Thomas’s younger sister. Thomas was not hurt but after that the he was very nervous . He cried often. His parents had only to show him a book and he would grow quiet. He would gaze in wide eyed wonder at the illuminated pages and turn them with tender care. He also loved the stillness of the family chapel and was fascinated by the red light that glowed in the darkness.

When he was five, Thomas heard his teacher make many references to God. With questioning eyes he asked “Teacher, what is God? It would be a question Thomas sought to answer all of his life. It was at the age of five that his parents took him to Monte Casino, the Benedictine monastery just six miles from the castle. Theodora’s brother was the current abbot and he would mentor the boy for the next nine years. The family hoped that some day Thomas would be abbot of this community that was at the height of its power and glory.

Mary was to find her adolescent son in the temple questioning the rabbis. He knew he had to be there. Theodora was to learn that her 14 year old son had transferred to the university of Naples where he embraced the revolutionary teachings of Aristotle. It was here that the lad met Dominican, a community of beggars who went door to door confidently asking for food and financial support for their preaching mission. The majority of the population was shocked and embarrassed by this back to basics evangelization. Thomas’s attraction to the friars unnerved and disappointed his family. They supported his religious vocation but not to this group. Chesterton compared Thomas’ choice to running away and marrying a gypsy or joining a cult.

Mary came seeking her son in the mission field. Theodora sent her two older sons and soldiers to kidnap Thomas on his way to Paris. They would hide him in the tower of San Giovani till he got over his adolescent idealism and his hippy way of life. Thomas used the time to memorize the bible and to began to write. He was absolutely on fire with the desire to know God. He pushed himself relentlessly and probably dangerously.

Theodora wrote the pope, the archbishop, the Master General and the prior in Naples asking them to release her son from his vows as a Dominican. The Pope sided with Thomas but to appease his mother he said he would appoint Thomas abbot at Monte Casino while Thomas remained a Dominican and wore the Dominican habit. Thomas refused, of course.

When Jesus needed his Father’s wisdom he would rise early and go to the mountain or sea shore. When Thomas wrestled privately with theological problems he would rest his forehead against the tabernacle and beg for inspiration. One day while working on a text on the Eucharist Thomas suddenly hurled his manuscript at the foot of the crucifix. “Christ, you pass judgment on this” From the crucifix he heard “You have written well, Thomas. What reward can I give you for your labors? “Nothing but you” whispered Thomas..

He grew tired and not feeling well. On December 6 he would not take up his writing tools nor dictate to his secretaries. “I cannot do it because all that I’ve written seems like straw. Those were to be his most eloquent words. The answer to the five year old’s question “What is God?” would elude him. Some believe he suffered a stroke that day after months of profound depression and burn out. While on a trip to the Council of Lyons He grew so weak he sought rest in a Benedictine monastery. His life had come to full circle. It was here that he died.

What is God? We don’t know but like Thomas we are sure that we want nothing but him.