June 2018

Although now known as one of the Church’s wisest theologians, to his fellow seminarians, Thomas Aquinas was the “Dumb Ox.” And, despite his incredible intellect, Aquinas allowed his classmates to believe he was as unintelligent as he seemed.

In just two years, John Meinert managed to write and defend his dissertation, which he passed with distinction, score several publications in scholarly journals, and land a full-time faculty position—all while raising a young family. Two years is generally considered fast given that doctoral students have five years to complete their dissertations. How did he

Has anyone ever asked you, “Why do you believe that?” or “How do we know that God is real?” Perhaps you have a friend or family member who has doubts about Christianity—or you’ve wrestled with doubts yourself.

God made us for work. When He created the first man and woman, He commanded them to “fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over . . . every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Gen 1:28). “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it” (Gen 2:15).

In the Summa Theologiae, Thomas Aquinas includes five arguments answering the question of whether we can know if God exists. In his five ways, Aquinas uses human reason to conclude what faith has already revealed to us. Aquinas drew on the philosophy of Aristotle in his theology, using both faith and reason to give us some

“Among the Scholastic Doctors, the chief and master of all towers Thomas Aquinas . . . he is rightly and deservedly esteemed the special bulwark and glory of the Catholic faith.” —Pope Leo XIII, Aeterni Patris We’ve all heard the name Thomas Aquinas, but who really was this great saint? As a student he may