Before St. Thomas Aquinas was born (early in 1225) a holy hermit known as Buono journeyed to the Castle of Rocca Secca, near Naples, and made a great prophecy to Countess Theodora, the wife of Count Landulf of Aquino. While pointing to a picture of the founder of the Dominican order, he said: “Lady be glad, for you are about to have a son whom you will call Thomas. You and your husband will think of making him a monk in the Abbey of Mount Cassino (Benedictines), where lies the founder, St. Benedict, in the hopes that your son will attain to its honours and wealth. But God has disposed otherwise, because he will become a Friar of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). And so great will be his learning and sanctity, that there will not be found in the whole world, another person like him!”
She was amazed at the prophecy, and exclaimed, “I am most unworthy of bearing such a son, but God’s will be done according to His good pleasure.” Despite her proclamation, she and members of her family did everything they could to deter Thomas from joining the Dominican Order of Preachers. They had Thomas imprisoned in one of the castle towers, where he suffered cold, hunger, and deprivations. His two sisters urged him to change his mind. Finally, a temptress was sent to seduce him. All efforts failed and Thomas was finally allowed to follow the destiny that God had set for him.
In the case of Aquinas, no amount of roadblocks could prevent him from pursuing the path that led to his appointed destiny. There may be no other figure in human history, other than Christ (one need think only of Herod) for whom no amount of roadblocks could prevent him from achieving his destiny. Aquinas, like Christ, is a model for parents who oftentimes try to steer their own children away from destinies that God has set for them.
A 15-year-old boy, who wanted to be a writer, showed his first story to his father. The father’s violent reaction was unexpected. “No son of mine is going to be a scribbler,” he said, and tore the boy’s story to shreds and beat him. The father wanted his son to follow his footsteps and become a dentist. In this case, the paternal roadblock also proved ineffective. The young writer went on to pen more than 90 books, 60 of them western novels. The literary world honors the name Zane Grey, whose Riders of the Purple Sage became the measure to which all other westerns are measured. Destinies can be difficult o discourage. A picture of the father, wearing a stern countenance, now hangs of a wall in the Zane Grey museum.
Theologian Romano Guardini remarks in his book, Freedom, Grace, and Destiny, that “Destiny comes to me from outside, yet it is already present within myself.” Destiny is also mysteriously interwoven with Divine Providence. But it is not without its roadblocks.
Fr. Todd and Gary Koenigsknecht (photo: New York Times)
A nurse attends the delivery of identical male twins in a Michigan hospital. What thoughts might run through her head at this moment? Surely, it would be the health of the newborns, and how they might fare in the coming days. But she could not have anticipated what would transpire twenty-six years later as a result of the interweaving of destiny and providence. On Father’s Day, June 15, 2014, she found herself standing in line awaiting a blessing from the very same twins, Todd and Gary Koenigsknecht, who were ordained priests in the Catholic Church on the previous day. The new priests were now caring for the soul of the nurse who cared for their bodies when they came into the world (New York Times, June 16, 2014).
God provides destinies. We provide the roadblocks. We should pray for the ability to discern between the two and place ourselves at the service of the former.
Dr. Donald DeMarco is a Senior Fellow of Human Life International. He is professor emeritus at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo, Ontario, an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College in Cromwell, CT, and a regular columnist for St. Austin Review. His latest works, How to Remain Sane in a World That is Going Mad and Poetry That Enters the Mind and Warms the Heart are available through Amazon.com.
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