Saint Who?

Saints Who Taught about Prayer

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Priest and Doctor († 1274) Feast: January 28

Thomas of Aquino is generally thought of solely as a philosopher and theologian, albeit one of the greatest in the history of the Church. However, he was also a Dominican priest, which means that he celebrated Mass and lived in a religious community. And he prayed.

In his famous Summa Theologiae, Thomas directly responded to more than a dozen questions about prayer. With Saint Augustine, Thomas agreed that the Lord’s Prayer is the greatest of all prayers. He answered basic questions about why we pray and how to pray. In response to a question about how long our prayers should last, he pointed out that we ought to have a continual desire to pray because of our love of God but that we also have work to do. He suggested that our “prayer should last long enough to arouse the fervor of the interior desire,” but that when that time has been exceeded and we are becoming weary, “it should be discontinued.”

Thomas wrote and spoke very little about his own prayer life, although he was known to have mystical experiences in prayer. He also wrote prayers for his own use, such as one to be said before studying, a prayer which Catholic students ever since have prayed in hopes of emulating the brilliant Dominican’s loving knowledge of God.

Merciful God, may we ardently desire to know your will, do it, and give praise and glory to your Holy Name.