Św. Tomasz z Akwinu. Teoria i praktyka kaznodziejstwa

The sacred preaching is, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the key tasks of the ministers of God, under the order of Christ: ”Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.” (Mark 16:15). The duty of preaching rests in particular on the bishops and priests. According to Aquinas there are three specific objectives of preaching: to illuminate the intelligence, to move the affects, and lead to resolutions. There are human means that belong to the art of oratory which help to achieve those purposes. However, one cannot rely exclusively on those human means. Human efforts are ineffective without the work of the Holy Spirit. Preaching requires contemplation, as it aims to convey to others knowledge of the truth which has been reached in contemplation. There are following acts that belong to the contemplative moment: to pray, learn, read, and meditate. Aquinas emphasizes the importance of study for those who are called to preach. However, there is also a need of the special assistance of the Holy Spirit, who freely offers his gifts and charismas. In the contemplation St. Thomas sees the highest level of human activity, the one in which human soul attains happiness. In Aquinas’s view, the contemplation of God is the ultimate goal of human life. To this sublime goal, the contemplation of God, human beings have to prepare themselves through a virtuous life, through prayer, and through the exercise of spiritual activities. Contemplation attains its acme in the highest contemplation of divine truth.