To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin.
Thomas AquinasRead
We are like children, who stand in need of masters to enlighten us and direct us; God has provided for this, by appointing his angels to be our teachers and guides.
Interpretation
We require guidance and enlightenment from higher beings, akin to children needing teachers.
In this quote, Thomas Aquinas emphasizes the necessity of guidance and wisdom in our lives. Just as children rely on their teachers for knowledge and direction, humans depend on divine beings such as angels to enlighten and guide them on their journey through life. This suggests a belief in the importance of seeking knowledge and understanding through higher authorities.
In practice
In a sermon about seeking divine guidance, this quote can highlight the role of faith.
To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin.
Law is nothing other than a certain ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the person who has the care of the community.
Now this relaxation of the mind from work consists on playful words or deeds. Therefore it becomes a wise and virtuous man to have recourse to such things at times.
A song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice.
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures.
Goodness in words creates trust, goodness in thinking creates depth, goodness in giving creates love.
This dying forces you to look into yourself. And in this, compassion is the only way. Love is the only way.
It is an undeniable privilege of every man to prove himself right in the thesis that the world is his enemy; for if he reiterates it frequently enough and makes it the background of his conduct he is bound eventually to be right.
No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.
Eternity looks grander and kinder if time grow meaner and more hostile.
Eloquence, at its highest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection, but addresses itself entirely to the desires and affections, captivating the willing hearers, and subduing their understanding.
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