If you are a Catholic school teacher, a Director of Religious Education, or a Mom, Dad, Grandma or Grandpa, chances are you’ve researched different ways to pass on the Faith to your students, children or grandchildren. We all want to find that magic formula that will allow the Faith to sink into their hearts and stay. But what is it? Perhaps, it has more to do with us, the teachers, than anything else. If we look to today’s Saint, Saint Albert the Great, we can see that it was his own holiness and fixed gaze on God that would allow him to help form his student, Thomas Aquinas, into a Saint.
Born around the year 1200, Albert joined the newly formed Dominican Order in 1223. A legend explains that after joining the Order of Preachers, young Albert had some difficulties with his studies and decided to leave the Order. When climbing a ladder during the night to slip over the monastery wall, Our Lady appeared to him. She “gently chided him for not asking her help” and promised that he would possess unequaled learning. From that point, Albert had a strong devotion to Mary and his studies became expansive. At the end of his life, his complete writings came to 38 volumes and covered his extensive knowledge of such diverse subjects as theology, philosophy, anatomy, anthropology, astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, dentistry, geography, geology, medicine, physiology, physics, psychology and zoology. Some said that Albert knew all that there was to know. Albert realized that because God had created an orderly world, His creation could be studied scientifically. He thus observed the created world with the intent of finding more about God. In addition to his vast studies, he taught at prestigious universities, starting a house of Dominican studies in Rome called the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (or “Angelicum”), and administered a diocese as Bishop. Through all of these tasks, Albert remained devoutly faithful to his prayer life. In fact, he once wrote, “the goal of all perfection that his purified mind should be daily raised up from all bodily objects to spiritual things until all his mental activity and all his heart's desire become one unbroken prayer. So the mind must abandon the dregs of earth and press on towards to God, on whom alone should be fixed the desire of a spiritual man…”. In other words, to follow his example, we need to have a regular prayer life and see God in all that we do.
Despite being called “Great” and “wonder and miracle” in his own lifetime, St. Albert is best known for being the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas. Perhaps because he was so in tune with God, he was able to spot the greatness of his student. When fellow students considered Thomas dull and slow, and called him “the dumb ox”, St. Albert famously said, “You call him the dumb ox, but in his teaching he will one day produce such a bellowing that it will be heard throughout the world.” St. Thomas Aquinas would end up following his beloved teacher to stay under his tutelage. Aquinas would build upon his mentor’s study of Aristotle to produce his Summa Theologica. On his part, St. Albert humbly understood that his protégé had surpassed him. In fact, later in life, when St. Thomas Aquinas died, St. Albert the Great gave up his own work to defend and promote Aquinas’ works. St. Thomas Aquinas would end up becoming canonized within 50 years of his death. His mentor, however, was not canonized until 1934. This 700 year delay of recognition, however, would make no difference to St Albert the Great. His focus was not on the esteem of men, but rather he had his gaze fixed firmly on God. He sought to view others through God’s eyes. Like him, we can pray to see God’s gifts in our students and also humbly have as our goal that they will surpass us in holiness and learning.
In the end, the ultimate goal of a Catholic education is to make a Saint. St. Albert the Great shows us that Saints make Saints. What do you need in your own spiritual life to bring you to the next level? Today, may Saint Albert the Great pray for all of us to find that next step towards becoming Saints.
Let us pray.
"Oh God, Who made blessed Albert, Your Bishop and Doctor, eminent in the submission of human wisdom to divine faith, grant us, we beseech You, so to follow the path of his teaching that we may enjoy perfect light in heaven."
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