Ageless Axioms

        The death of Pope Francis and the election of a new Pope has focused the world’s attention on Catholicism. History’s pages are replete with remarks by some more renowned followers of the faith considered worthy of all ages. These ageless axioms are worthy of universal acceptance not only because of their literary worth, but because of their lifestyle merit. Age has not diminished the truth 

they encapsulate. Consider these and how they relate to you. Are you a living embodiment of any of them?

         Augustine of Hippo (though technically late antiquity, his influence dominated the medieval church):

“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”

         Thomas Aquinas (13th century, Dominican friar and theologian):

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

        Bernard of Clairvaux (12th century, Cistercian abbot and mystic):

“What we love we shall grow to resemble.”

        Anselm of Canterbury (11th century, monk, philosopher, theologian):

“I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand.”

        Meister Eckhart (13th-14th century, German Dominican friar and mystic):

“The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me.”

        Francis of Assisi (13th century, founder of the Franciscan Order):

“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”

        St. Bede the Venerable (7th-8th century, English monk and historian):

“Unfurl the sails, and let God steer us where He will.”

         Bonaventure (13th century, Franciscan theologian, called the “Seraphic Doctor”):

“In everything, whether it is a thing sensed or a thing known, God Himself is hidden within.    

         Peter Abelard (12th century, philosopher, theologian, and priest):

“By doubting, we are led to question; by questioning, we arrive at truth.”

         Catherine of Siena (14th century, Dominican tertiary and Doctor of the Church — again, not a priest but hugely influential):

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

         Hildegard of Bingen (12th century, Benedictine abbess, mystic, and composer):

“The soul is kissed by God in its innermost regions.”

         Thomas à Kempis (15th century, priest and author of “The Imitation of Christ):

“Without the Way, there is no going; without the Truth, there is no knowing; without the Life, there is no living.”

        Hopefully readers will find those good axioms by which to live.