A VATICAN official called on Thomasians to be “discreet” like Christ, saying it allows one to radiate positivity without boasting or exuding self-importance.
In his homily during the mass for the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday, Jan. 28, Archbishop Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi said devotees should steer attention away from themselves as true beauty comes from the likeness of Christ.
“We see our faces, but we do not see the light because it remains invisible—it is powerful, discreet and rich in power. At the same time, it never steals the show. On the other hand, the darkness shows off itself. The darkness shows only the darkness,” Pagazzi said at the Santisimo Rosario Parish.
“May the intercession of St. Thomas Aquinas whom we are all devoted… make us discreet like the light, discreet like Christ,” he added.
Pagazzi, one of the secretaries of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, said humans get rid of the burden that “shows itself off” in immense darkness by embracing the light given by God.
“Thanks to the light, we [ascend] from darkness. Facing a very dangerous force, the light causes every form and color of the world to appear. The light allows each being to be itself, distinguished from everything else. The light decides things to be, and to reveal their beauty. The light shows things without showing itself,” he said.
According to the archbishop, God’s teachings serve as a guiding light that shines when His people respond wisely to any challenge in life.
Pagazzi’s visit to UST is part of the celebration of the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, the University’s patron saint. The celebration adopted the theme “St. Thomas Aquinas: Illumined by Truth, Anchored in Hope.”
Before the mass, the Vatican official went to the UST Central Seminary and was welcomed by Institute of Religion faculty secretary Asst. Prof. Warren Maneja, Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. and students from the Ecclesiastical Faculties.
Known as the patron of all Catholic educational institutions, St. Thomas Aquinas significantly contributed to the integration of theology and philosophy through his writings that influenced Catholicism for centuries. The Dominican saint’s most renowned work, Summa Theologiae, explored fundamental theological ideas, including the proof of God’s existence. F — Rachelle Anne Mirasol