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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260128
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UID:14543-1769558400-1769644799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St Thomas Aquinas
DESCRIPTION:GATHER YOURSELF IN WISDOM \nFrom a commentary by St Thomas Aquinas \n◊◊◊ \n[In the book of Ecclesiasticus it says] “Run ahead into your house and \ngather yourself there and play there and pursue your thoughts.” \nThe advantage which the study of wisdom has is that it is to a greater \ndegree self-sufficient in pursuing its business. When we are engaged in outward \nactivities we need many things to help us\, but in the contemplation of wisdom \nwe work all the more effectively\, the more we dwell alone with ourselves. \nSo…the wise Man calls us back to ourselves: “Run ahead into your own \nhouse\, \n” that is\, be anxious to return from external things to your own mind\, \nbefore anything else gets hold of it and any other anxiety distracts it. That is why \nit says in Wisdom\, “I will enter my house and rest with her”… \nThe first requirement\, then for the contemplation of wisdom is that we \nshould take complete possession of our minds before anything else does\, so that \nwe can fill the whole house with the contemplation of wisdom. But it is also \nnecessary that we ourselves should be fully present there\, concentrating in such \na way that our aim is not diverted to other matters. Accordingly the text goes on\, \n“And gather yourself there\, \n” that is\, draw together your whole intention. And \nwhen our interior house is entirely emptied like this and we are fully present \nthere in our intention\, the text tells us what we should do; “And play there. \n” \nThere are two features of play which make it appropriate to compare the \ncontemplation of wisdom to playing. First\, we enjoy playing\, and there is the \ngreatest enjoyment of all to be had in the contemplation of wisdom. As Wisdom \nsays in Ecclesiasticus\, “My spirit is sweeter than honey.” \nSecondly\, playing has no purpose beyond itself; what we do in play is done \nfor its own sake. And the same applies to the pleasure of wisdom. If we are \nenjoying thinking about the things we long for or the things we are proposing to \ndo\, this kind of enjoyment looks beyond itself to something else which we are \neager to attain. \nIf we fail to attain it or if there is a delay in attaining it\, our pleasure is \nmingled with a proportionate distress… But the contemplation of wisdom \ncontains within itself the cause of its own enjoyment\, and so it is not exposed to \nthe kind of anxiety that goes with waiting for something which we lack… “Her \ncompany is without bitterness” (the company of wisdom)… “and there is no \nboredom in living with her.” \nIt is for this reason that divine Wisdom compares her enjoyment to \nplaying… “I enjoyed myself every single day\, playing before him\,” each “single \nday” meaning the consideration of some different truth. So… “Pursue your \nthoughts\,” the thoughts… by means of which we obtain knowledge of the truth.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-thomas-aquinas-3/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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