St. Thomas Aquinas and the Preaching Beggars

by Brendan Larnen, Milton Lomask

The story of St. Thomas Aquinas is one full of moving and dramatic scenes: the flaming destruction of Monte Cassino Abbey, the reception into the Dominican order of the quiet, determined young Thomas, the breath-taking escape from the donjon tower, and the striking instances of the saint's eloquence and brilliance. In this 26th volume of the acclaimed Vision Books series of saints lives, children from ages 9 to 15 will enjoy the exciting story of the man who wrote the masterful Summa Theologica, the advisor to popes who refused ecclesiastical honor, the simple friar who shook the medieval world with his intellect.

Genres: Religion, Biography, Childrens, Catholic

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another classic Saint history from the Vision series.

A quote from the chapter The Last Lesson:

“Such secrets were revealed to me this morning. Reginald, that all I have written now appears to be of little value. … All my books- they now seem to be so much straw!”

[George Xavier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was... a lot younger. Maybe 8 or 9? Much of it I do not remember, but what I do remember is what has become a classic story in my family. Along with the events of his life, this book also describes (probably more than one) but at least one of Thomas Aquinas's teachings. Namely Accidentals vs. Essentials. Whether it was because they put it particularly clearly, or my interest in theology was already taking shape, or perhaps both- I got it. I understood it, it made such beautiful and perfect sense to me, and I was so excited. It's an experience I've had many times in more recent years (especially during seminar classes) but then, it was a feeling I was not familiar with. A simple enough concept of course, but it was extremely exciting at... however old I was. I was so delighted that, that night after turning it over and over in my head like a particularly delicious piece of chocolate, I had to go downstairs and share my amazing discovery. I marched down and announced my revelation to my unsuspecting parents, who were quite surprised, but certainly happy. The other day, cleaning out my files, my mom and I came across the summary I wrote soon after my discovery:

"Once Saint Thomas Aquinas was in a class that St. Albert the Great taught. One day St. Albert asked why this was silly, 'I am a human being and I have a high-pitched voice, therefore all human beings have high-pitched voices.' St. Thomas Aquinas said that Father Albert should be pointing to an essential and not an accidental. An essential is what all of what you are talking about have. An accidental is what only some of what you are talking about have. For example, how big a room is, what shape is it, what color is it and what it is used for are all accidentals. The essential thing about a room is that it is a space between four walls and has a ceiling and a floor. I thought that this was very brilliant."

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner in the Vision series. These are a great way to begin study for a saint, no matter how old you are!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of the strikingly holy, and humble.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good basic book about St. Thomas.

[Tirzah Eleora]

DNF. Shoddily written historical fiction.