Not all oxen are dumb

Today, according to my breviary  (albeit in commemoration only) marks the Feast of the Dumb Ox himself, St Thomas Aquinas.

In the light of my recent postings about Reason and Poetry, none epitomise this more for me than St Thomas. The Summa Theologiae is a wonderful read but it is taking me years to get through it given the hurly burly of life. Yet, St Thomas also has a poetic element. His liturgy for the Feast of Corpus Christi is so rooted in the presence of Christ that the heart and emotions are stirred as well as the mind.

Of course, while Anglican Catholics tend to believe in a form of Transubstantiation,  we are not bound by any particular explanation of the Mystery. Nor should we be, and even St Thomas would accept that, I think, given that, towards the end of his life, that magnificent Summa becomes a thing of straw.

Reality is deeper than just reason, yet reason is how we talk to each other. In asking St Thomas to be one of my patrons, I ask him to pray with me and for me that we may learn to communicate better at the level of the soul rather than just the mind or the heart. That way perhaps we can find that common love for each other in the light of the Love of God.