Sacraments in St. Thomas Aquinas’ Major Summa (q 60/61/62/63/64/65) - What I Found That Is or Is Not Useful for Understanding Sacraments Today
St. Thomas Aquinas is considered one of the Doctors of the Catholic Church because of his great theological contributions, and his philosophy has been so influential in Western civilization that he is also studied by seculars. One of his most important contributions was incorporating reason in the form of Aristotelian logic into the discussion of faith and religious tenants.
In Summa Theologica, one of his most important works, he lists six major questions: “Of the love or direction of the angels”, “Of the production of the angels in the order of natural being”, “Of the perfection of the angels in the order of grace and of glory”, “The malice of the angels with regard to sin”, “The punishment of the demons”, and “The work of creation of corporeal creatures”. To examine this last question, St. Thomas Aquinas uses four articles: “Whether corporeal creatures are from God?”, “Whether corporeal things were made on account of God’s goodness?”, “Whether corporeal creatures were produced by God through the medium of the angels?”, and “Whether the forms of bodies are from the angels?”.
The third part of this magnum opus is about the sacraments among other subjects. The rigor, extension and depth with which St. Thomas Aquinas approaches theological matters is astonishing, trying to support logically each and every claim he makes against objections. For example, in XXX, he approaches the relation between sin and the Eucharist. Specifically, it asks the question whether men are preserved by this sacrament from future sins. In summary, he answers that it does, but only temporarily, in two ways: it “strengthens his spiritual life, as spiritual food and spiritual medicine” (Augustine 5603) and “repels all the assaults of demons” (Augustine 5603).
There is an ongoing debate about the importance of taking into account contemporary aspects of culture. While some think that it is indispensable that the Catholic Church responds to what is currently happening in the world, others believe that a part of the universality of this sacred institution lies on its respect towards the dogma. I believe that this second position is true. While I don’t disregard the cultural climate, I opine that the main truths that Catholics hold remain the same through the years. This immutability makes everything that St. Thomas Aquinas sustains of importance to understanding the sacraments today. Even though that we are living in an epoch that is greatly different than that he lived in; these fundamental truths have stayed the same; thus, his dissertations on them are of great relevance and will remain so through the times.
Furthermore, real world applications may be seen today, as we live in a more morally corrupt world because fewer people receive the body of Christ. In contemporary times, there are more sin and less charity than before, which has led to a decline in civilization. This change could be a result of fewer people believing in God and practicing the sacraments than before. One could think that if more people received the Eucharist, we would live in a better world than the current one.
Works Cited
Aquinas, T. Summa Theologica. Christian Classics Etheral Library. Benziger Bros. edition, 1947. Trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province. 1274. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. PDF file.
