Summary: Thomas Aquinas was a bold thinker who challenged traditional norms and sought to blend faith with reason. He admired Aristotle and joined the Dominican Order to actively express his faith, defying his family’s wishes. His greatest achievement was creating a synthesis of faith and reason, which was innovative for his time and demonstrated his deep humility.
centuries of piety have smothered the fire that animates genuine saints, turning them into insipid caricatures who gaze ever heavenward, hands devoutly clasped, pursed-lipped-gazing-on-God expressions on their faces. (View Highlight)
Real saints aren’t saccharine. They’re uncanny, unpredictable, wild, disarming, and sometimes barely likeable. They live on the edge, forsaking the comfort zones the rest of us wrap ourselves in. Their wrestling with God leaves them wounded and raw. Perhaps that’s why we tend to domesticate them; their undiluted reality is too much for us. (View Highlight)