As we continue to pray for the continued and deepened awareness of the dignity of all human beings, today we are also celebrating a great Doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Thomas wrote a famous Theology manual for seminarians and beginners in Theology that’s still used today. Most people don’t really consider the Summa Theologica a beginner’s guide however – it is incredibly dense and thorough. St. Thomas did something really important by writing the Summa though: he organized centuries of great thoughts from different important theologians like St. Augustine, St. Jerome, the Venerable Bede, St. John Chrysostom, and others into a coherent and clear (if not at times challenging) summary. The Summa Theologica was like the Cliff Notes for theology of the middle ages, and has become more famous than the original works upon which it is based.
Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Today we celebrate Mass while continuing our prayers for the respect of human dignity. We have to pray for the grace of God to help us continue to recognize the dignity of every human life because we are constantly challenged to do so. We can forget that there are still more than fifteen abortions per hundred pregnancies in the United States which results in well over 500,000 deaths per year – still more lethal than the Corona virus where the death toll sits at about 425,000 total in the US. We can forget that there are still more than nine million people who die of starvation in the world every year because virtually no one dies of starvation in the United States. We can forget these things because we don’t see them happening or we are not aware of them. We need God’s grace to help us see what is invisible – the most important things in life are invisible.
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel brings us to the beginning of Christ’s apostolic life and ministry. The Third Luminous Mystery is a meditation on this specific moment in the life of Christ. Before Christ’s parables, before Jesus begins to teach us more clearly about His relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit – before He tells His disciples about His coming death and Resurrection – He calls to conversion. In a lot of ways He simply continues the message of John the Baptist, the main thing that changes is the urgency. While it was urgent for the Jews to convert when John the Baptist was preaching, preparing for the imminent arrival of the messiah, it becomes even more imperative when the true identity of Jesus is made known at His Baptism. Now it is no longer, “get ready because the messiah is almost here,” instead it is, “now the messiah is standing right in front of you: behold the Lamb of God.” Jesus says, “repent because the Kingdom of Heaven is now here, present in your midst.” Jesus Himself is the Kingdom of Heaven – those He calls to join Him and who attach themselves to Him enjoy already the peace that only God can give.