12 Life Lessons from St. Thomas Aquinas: Timeless Spiritual Wisdom for Our Turbulent Times

The 12 life lessons taught in this book are all presented in light of the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. This book is well-written and engaging. It is not easy reading, but it is systematic and clear. I wouldn't say it is difficult reading either, but it does take some focus and concentration. The logic of the book is based on the layout of the Summa Theologica, so the reader is taken on an engaging tour of one of the greatest theological works in the Catholic canon, and likely among all religious works. The author, Dr. Kevin Vost, is a clear thinker and creative writer.Now, a little diversion: Some, of course, say Thomism is dated and for a by-gone era, but I think it is time-tested and a good antidote to the subtle and obvious theological and pastoral errors of our time. In fact, I have to thank the faculty of the Dominican House of Studies (Washington, DC) for saving my sanity after I was immersed in a dualistic theology of black and white Evangelicalism for too many years. That nearly drove me crazy, really. The Thomistic understanding of God and of the person introduced Truth and balance to me, and in that I found joy and happiness. I was able to start anew (in many ways) and continue on my pilgrimage with Jesus, where I have experienced ever more deeply his life and love. I am thankful to the Dominicans and to St. Thomas. (Also I'm thankful for several wonderful professors at St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore.)Now, back to the book: These 12 life lessons are simple, but helpful to living as a faithful Catholic Christian in this confused and increasingly dark world: 1) Accept Only the Best; 2) Focus on Things That Matter the Most; 3) No Harmony, No Peace!; 4) Justice Begins at Home; 5) Our Brothers (and Sisters) Ain't Heavy; 6) Be Your Own Best Friend; 7) Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner; 8) Be a Man (or a Woman)!; 9) Go to Mass, Not to the Woods, Every Sunday; 10) Listen to That Angel on Your Shoulder; 11) Be a Saint; 12) Get Jesus. Pretty simple, but challenging--life long!That Vost could formulate these 12 life lessons rooted in Aquinas shows how versatile Aquinas is and how Thomism truly reflects the Church's concern for everything human (Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes, #1). Everything Vost writes in this book is rooted in and footnoted to Thomas, much of it to the Summa.There are lots of surprises in this book. It is very helpful for me on my journey. I'm thinking it may work well for our parish RCIA mystagogia group as well.My only complaint is that there is no Index, which would be very helpful.Our parish book club discussed this book on 2/26/21. In general, it received quite positive responses. Before we discussed the book, however, we spent about 30 minutes with one of our members sharing a bit about the important parts of Thomism, to help give us some context. For disclosure (if anyone cares) I am that member.

I found it difficult sometimes to understand the writings of the saints. This book is well written and well layer out. Easy to understand and I have learned much.

The main theme of this book is to accept only the best, and since God is the best, then seek to know, love and serve God. That’s not only good advice, it’s the best advice.Since Twelve Life Lessons from Saint Thomas Aquinas summarizes the main doctrines of Thomas Aquinas, the lessons listed are good, beautiful and true. Among those lessons are the following:The cause of sin is inordinate self-love, where inordinate means disordered, unrestrained and inappropriate. Usually, sin involves choosing a lower, bodily good over a higher, moral spiritual good.Since the main rule is to accept only the best, the lack of passion for serving and enjoying God is the opposite of accepting the best. Aquinas notes that those who find no joy in spiritual pleasures will switch to bodily pleasures. Our passions should be for things that are truly good, beautiful and true.Another insight is that the nature of love transforms the lover into the thing loved. Things hard and difficult seem easy and pleasant to one who loves. Working hard on a labor of love isn’t difficult, but enjoyable.One of the lessons is in the Prayer of Saint Francis, and the main point of that prayer is to think about others rather than concentrating on yourself. That’s noble and wise.Envy is sadness over the happiness of another, and thus envy opposes the second Great Commandment of Jesus, which is to love our neighbors as ourselves.Aquinas also counsels against vainglory, which is seeking glory for things that are vain or petty. There is a virtue that directly counters vainglory by disposing us to seek out things truly worthy of glory and praise. The man who truly loves himself will busy himself with praiseworthy actions, not in search of praise, but because of the worthiness of the actions themselves. The virtue that equips us to act in ways that are truly worthy of honor and glory is called magnanimity, which means “greatness of soul.”Aquinas stated that every evil is a weakness. Since evil is a weakness, good is stronger than evil. Furthermore, God is Goodness itself, and he is all-powerful. So in the battle of good versus evil, good will eventually win.Kevin Vost has written an excellent book that is clear, short, wise and profound. If you read this book, you’ll be glad you did.