#Aquinas: "We are united to God as to One Unknown." God is not "out there," far away or up in the sky. "God is closer to us than we are to ourselves" & "in all things in the most intimate way." God is transcendent: "far beyond anything we think" - so profound that we cannot go there. https://bit.ly/4qqZFGo

#Aquinas: "We ought to cherish the body [&]celebrate the 'wonderful communion' of #body+soul." Dualism of soul/mind over body w/ dualism of male over female results in "fearful view of sex & fanatical misogyny tw. women" ~R. Ruether. I.e., Aquinas took on entire patristic institution! https://bit.ly/4qqZFGo

#Aquinas: "God is a Fountain of Total Beauty, the most beautiful & the superbeautiful." One wonders how much of the #ecologicalcrisis staring us in the face is traceable to our eliminating the premodern understanding of God as Beauty. bit.ly/4qqZFGo

#Aquinas: "There is a double #Resurrection." The first is #wakingup in this lifetime.
If we do this correctly, we need not worry about the second.
Being asleep=separation from God: acedia, passivity, depression. Cure=experience of love, beauty, goodness: #fallinginlove w/ life.
https://bit.ly/4qqZFGo

#Aquinas: " #Angels carry thoughts from #prophet to prophet." Angels are cosmic beings who assist w/ the work of the unfolding & evolving universe...not just guarding individuals but instrumental in "governing the universe." https://bit.ly/4qqZFGo

#Aquinas: " #Angels carry thoughts from #prophet to prophet." Angels are cosmic beings who assist w/ the work of the unfolding & evolving universe...not just guarding individuals but instrumental in "governing the universe." bit.ly/4qqZFGo

#Aquinas: "It pertains to #Magnanimity to have a great soul."
"Because #courage ...strengthens a person against #evil, magnanimity strengthens a person to take on good tasks.That is why #trust pertains more properly to magnanimity than to courage...No evil person [can]be magnanimous." bit.ly/4qqZFGo
Image: Queen Esther publicly exposes Haman’s plot to Ahasuerus during the royal banquet. Painting by Jan Steen, Wikimedia.

#Aquinas: "Sins of the flesh take you toward God; sins of the spirit take you away from God." He stands of the side of #justice-seeking & #pleasure, teaching that the practice of #virtue increases happiness & pleasure. Justice & love go together, not necessarily justice and celibacy.
bit.ly/4qqZFGo

#Aquinas: " #Playfulness, or #Fun, is a Virtue.....Weariness of the soul must of necessity be remedied by resting the soul, and the soul's rest is pleasure." Aquinas urges us to take care of ourselves & know our limits...even if the cause is good. bit.ly/4qqZFGo