ST. THOMAS AQUINAS AND THE HIDDEN GOD

Acrylic on archival quality masonite, 16 x 24”

In this piece I wanted to focus on St. Thomas’ love for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. His monumental work the Summa Theologica is under the altar. 

After Thomas received a mystical vision he would not write anymore. 

He said that after what he had seen and heard his writings were nothing but straw.

Thomas was a very modest and quiet natured man and was mistakenly called 

‘the dumb ox’ by his classmates in the seminary and also by his teacher 

St. Albert the Great. Until Albert read Thomas’ thesis and he proclaimed 

“This dumb ox will bellow throughout the whole world!”

Seeing the ox and the straw, one is taken back to the beginnings in the humble cave of Bethlehem. In the host, Thomas is adoring the same Christ Child that came into the world on that Holy Night. It is the Hidden Lord. Thomas wrote ffive hymns in honour of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. After being asked by the Holy Father to write a hymn for the newly created feast of Corpus Christi, 

Thomas wrote Adoro Te Devote.

What a magnificent Dominican he was!

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