glory of God. After gazing upon the Son, the eyes see differently from that point on.

St. Thomas had been summoned to the Council of Lyons, and, after a respite at his sister's castle, he proceeded along his way. At some point during the journey he hit his head violently against a fallen tree. The details of the incident are, of course, obscure. Whether as a result of weakness or serious injury, he stopped at the castle of his niece, located at Maenza, who observed that his condition was getting worse, and therefore asked that he be taken to the nearby Cistercian Monastery of Fossanuova. St. Thomas agreed with the decision, stating, "If the Lord is coming for me, I had better be found in a religious house than in a castle."

After greeting the monks in the monastery, St. Thomas quickly went to adore the Blessed Sacrament. On entering the cloister, he quoted the words of Psalm 131:14: "This is my rest for ever and ever: here will I dwell, for I have chosen it." On March 5, St. Thomas received Viaticum while kneeling on the floor beside his deathbed. There were fellow Dominicans, some Friars Minor, and the community of Cistercians present. On receiving the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Risen Lord, St. Thomas spoke the following beautiful words, which the Bull of Canonization records:

"I receive Thee, redeeming Prince of my soul. Out of love for Thee have I studied, watched through many nights, and exerted myself: Thee did I preach and teach. I have never said aught against Thee. Nor do I persist stubbornly in my views. If I have ever expressed myself erroneously on this Sacrament, I submit to the judgement of the Holy Roman Church, in obedience of which I now part from this world."

Pope Pius XI noted that in order to obtain the incomparable light of the Holy Spirit, St. Thomas "often abstained from all food, spent whole nights in watching and prayer; repeatedly impelled by piety, he placed his head against the tabernacle of the august Sacrament, and he turned his eyes searchingly to the image of Jesus crucified; as he confessed to his friend, St. Bonaventure, whatever he learned he had learned chiefly from that book" (Studiorum Ducem, 311-312).

On March 6, St. Thomas received Extreme Unction, and died early Wednesday morning. It was March 7, 1274. St. Thomas was drawn forth into the Beatific Vision, into unending joy and burning happiness. Yet there, in the silent room of his death, lay his now lifeless body: the nearly blind sub-superior, in the presence of about a hundred witnesses, reached out and lightly touched it -- his sight was immediately restored.

St. Thomas Aquinas was canonized by Pope John XXII on July 18, 1323. Pope Pius V declared him a Doctor of the Church on April 11, 1567.
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F. K. Bartels is a Catholic writer who knows his Catholic faith is one of the greatest gifts a man could ever have. He is a contributing writer for Catholic Online. Visit him also at catholicpathways.com
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelic Doctor, Common Doctor, saints, Church Doctors

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