Reading and brief commentary on a letter of St. Thomas Aquinas (Skip to 3:00 for commentary)
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Thumbnail Image: Santa Catalina Monastery, located in Arequipa, Peru. CC BY-SA 2.5 es, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
English Text of the Letter:
Brother John, most dear to me in Christ:
Since you have asked me how one should set about to acquire the treasure of knowledge, this is my advice to you concerning it. Namely, that you should choose to enter, not straightaway into the ocean, but by way of the little streams; for difficult things ought to be reached by way of easy ones.
The following, therefore, is my advice to you concerning your way of living.
1. I urge you to hesitate before speaking, and to hesitate before visiting the common room. [locutorium, literally speaking-place]
2. Hold fast to the cleanness of your conscience.
3. Do not cease from devoting time to prayer.
4. Love your cell by making constant use of it, if you want to be admitted to the wine cellar. [punning on cellam and cellam vinariam]
5. Show yourself to be lovable to everybody, or at least try to do so. But be very familiar with nobody, for too much familiarity breeds contempt and introduces factors which retard study.
6. Do not in any way get yourself involved in the doings and sayings of outsiders.
7. Avoid aimless meandering above all things.
8. Do not fail to follow in the footsteps of the saints and of sound men.
9. Do not heed by whom a thing is said, but rather commit to your memory what is said.
10. What you read, set about to understand, verifying what is doubtful.
11. Strive to put whatever you can into the cupboard of your mind [in armariolo mentis], as though you were wanting to fill a vessel to the brim.
12. 'Seek not the things that are too high for thee.' [quoting Eccl 3:21]
Follow in the footsteps of Blessed Dominic, who, while he yet had life for his fellow traveller, brought forth and produced foliage, blossom, and fruit-fruit both serviceable and astonishing-in the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts. If you shall have followed these steps, you will be able to attain to whatever you have a mind.
Farewell!