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St. Thomas On the Sanctifying Work of the Holy Spirit

Rev. Gilles Emery, O.P., Gives St. Thomas Day Lecture

(Spring 2008 Newsletter)

"The more I study St. Thomas, the more I am unconvinced by the modern claim that the Middle Ages ignored and neglected the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, when one actually reads St. Thomas, one finds the Holy Spirit at the very heart of his understanding of salvation and of life."

Thus began the St. Thomas Day lecture given this year by the Rev. Gilles Emery, O.P., a world-renowned theologian and professor of dogmatic theology at the Theological Faculty of Fribourg University in Switzerland. Fr. Emery is also a member of the International Theological Commision, an advisory body to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In addition, he is a member of the editorial board of Revue Thomiste, and an associate editor of and contributor to Nova et Vetera. Fr. Emery's most recent book is entitled The Trinitarian Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas and is published by Oxford University Press.

Fr. Emery addressed the faculty and students of the College on the afternoon of January 28, the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, concerning the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. In his lecture, he referenced numerous passages from various works of the Angelic Doctor, including the Summa Theologiae, the Summa Contra Gentiles, and commentaries by the saint on passages from Scripture, in particular the Gospel of St. John, all of which illuminate the mission of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying the souls of Christians.

Commented Dean McLean, "This is one of the best addresses we have had concerning St. Thomas, and we are most grateful to Fr. Emery for making the long journey to our campus to help us celebrate the feast day of our patron in such a fitting way."

During his stay at the College, Fr. Emery talked with students and visited classes, later telling Dr. Dillon, "I only wish I could have had this education!"

In a recent interview at the Thomas Instituut te Utrecht, Fr. Emery discussed the effect his years studying St. Thomas has had on him saying, "The most important thing I learned from Aquinas is how to be a theologian, that is to say, what theology is and how theology should be done. I mean not only the method of theology (how to read Scripture with the help of the Fathers, how to integrate philosophy, and so on), but the contemplative and practical nature of theology."

Says Dean McLean, "We could not hope for more for our own graduates."

-- Qtrly Newsletter, Spring 2008