“Straw.”  Thomas Aquinas, after having committed eight years (1265-1273) of study, writing and prayerful discernment to explain to all the realities of God and Catholic theology, received a revelation from God about what He truly has in store of us. Aquinas famously told his assistant that all that he had written was straw and he quit writing. Stone cold braking to the process. Three months later, Aquinas died.

“Straw.” Aquinas’ masterpiece of faith, logic and argument as a guide for beginners is referred to as Summa, though the full title of this massive three-part work is Summa Theologica. To say it is a “Catholic document” would be to understate its revelations about existence and faith by orders of magnitude. He draws on the great minds of history as well as Biblical truths and doctrine.

“Straw.” Consider what straw was at the time of Aquinas’ work, which was about 80 years before the Black Death took out scores of millions of people. Aquinas’ work appeared about two-thirds of the way through the Medieval Period (aka Middle Ages). Straw was food for animals, served as bedding and toilets for beasts of burden – needing to be discarded and/or burned as part of regular maintenance – and was a practical addition to mud to create “bricks” and structures. Straw was harvested, bundled and transported through laborious efforts. Although practical and important, straw was likely not held in high regard – it was, quite simply, a utilitarian resource.

“Straw,” the great perception shifter. No matter how successful you are, how productive or creative you are, how accomplished you may be in the field(s) of your choosing…a little humility and perspective are in order. No matter what you have done, it cannot enter the same universe of achievement as Summa Theologica,a compelling work whose author thought it to be “straw” in comparison to the reality of God’s plans.