SORIANO, SYRYL P.

HM 202 THEOLOGY

“A Towering-Frightening Intellectual Titan”

Saints are people who are in heaven. The Church recognizes certain people who did such
an extraordinary job following God's will on Earth that we are sure that they are saints.
So this means that there may be other people in heaven who are not recognized as saints
here on Earth. Saints are not omnipotent, but they are in heaven, closer to God. Since
they are in heaven, they are also in a state of perfection. Catholics can also pray to dead
relatives to relay a message, and that's up to them. The most important thing about saints
is this. They serve as a tangible example of how to live a life that will lead to heaven.
They show us how to be excellent Christians not just good Christians.

St. Thomas Aquinas was known as a towering, frightening intellectual titan but also the
most tender and kind-hearted man you’ll get to know, especially when you use the
prayers and hymns he authored. St. Thomas Aquinas was also an incredibly intelligent
theologian and his synthesis of Faith and Reason is incredibly useful in the
evangelization of the culture today. Aquinas also stands as a sort of sign of contradiction
to the typical "kumbaya everybody believe what you want to believe" Catechesis a lot of
us have been treated to you. Even if you disagree with Aquinas on some point of
doctrine, his method of argumentation is still helpful to learn and grow from.