Study Habits: Studying Truth

Introduction There are many reasons for developing good study habits and one of them is to advance toward our academic goals. While advancing toward our academic goals is important there are other equal reasons for developing these good study habits and that is to studying holiness where it can be found; that is, to studying truth so that it can lead us to holiness of life. Studying truth requires first of all a desire to know the truth; secondly, a good guide along the paths of holiness that lay before the search. We can find no better guide to studying truth, studying holiness, and developing good study habits than St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church. St. Thomas is often referred to as the Angelic Doctor because his studying truth resulted in his living a holy life. In this short letter to a person who was interested in following St. Thomas, St. Thomas lays down several principles or study habits, which lead to a holy lifestyle. In the first paragraph, St. Thomas lays the foundation of the principles that will follow. Aquinas begins his instruction first by pointing out the object of his instructions, which is “to acquire the treasure of knowledge.” Why is this object so important, first to Aquinas and again to a student? Knowledge was the cause of Adam and Eve’s separation from God. Knowledge was the reason for the fall from grace. Knowledge was the cause that plunged all mankind into darkness for thousands of years until the Word became flesh thru the Virgin Mary. (Gen. 2:9) However, it is thru knowledge that we seek to find God in our lives. The Catechism teaches us the end of man is to “know, love and serve God.” This knowledge, according to Aquinas is both natural and supernatural. It is a natural knowledge of “Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.” (Heb. 1:20)In other words, the Church has always taught that man can come to understand the existence of God thru the unaided use of reason. Secondly, this knowledge of God comes also thru the gift of faith.Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1) We come to understand the mind of God thru the gift of faith that he infuses into us thru grace and the Holy Spirit.Do not wish to jump immediately from the streams to the sea, because one has to go through easier things to the more severe. (Aquinas & Kinney, 2011) After St. Thomas presents the object of his letter and makes known his intention of responding to a student’s request he, then lays down a very significant principle of learning. St. Thomas warns or gives a precaution to a student not to jump headlong into the midst of the most severe kinds of knowledge. A student needs to approach the treasures of knowledge by smaller steps or pathways. The streams of knowledge are like “streams to the sea.” A cook first learns the tools of his trade before applying them. A student is counseled to pursue the sea of knowledge, which is contained in the Word of God, thru studying the smaller streams which lead to him. A cook first learns about all the different kinds of vegetables, meats and herbs that can be used in cooking and seeks to understand Nature's purpose in each one before he begins to combine them together and make a splendid meal. It is the same way with those who seek to travel the road of knowledge to the sea. First, the student learns how to apply himself to the fundamental principles of his art or science, then later after having mastered the first principles he can being to build on his foundation which will bring him more advanced results.