Coordinating all the sciences and giving each one its due value, St. Albert admirably ascends from inanimate to living beings, from living to spiritual creatures, and from spirits to God.
It was the year 1223. In the villages of northern Italy, news spread by word of mouth of the arrival of a friar, famed for his oratory and works, who had been traversing the region and instructing the people in the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. Captivated by his reputation for sanctity, the multitudes packed the churches to hear him.
In fact, as he addressed the faithful from the pulpit, his admonishments had a gripping effect. They left a deep impression and acted as an irresistible summons to embrace the practice of virtue. His name was Jordan of Saxony, Master General of the Order of Preachers and immediate successor of St. Dominic Guzman.
He taught like a divine ambassador. On his lips, intricate doctrinal subjects became clear, accessible, and luminous and his charismatic presence moved his hearers to forsake sin once and for all. They were days of swift expansion for the Order, that was sinking deep roots; “the fascination of St. Dominic was transferred to his sons, without losing intensity and ardour.”1
At one such gathering, a young man from Bavaria in attendance listened with rapt attention to the priest’s exhortations. He had come to the Peninsula to study philosophy and the liberal arts, at the renowned University of Padua, but, until then, he had never met anyone with the moral qualities of Blessed Jordan, a fellow German.
As he listened, he felt in his soul an aborning desire to join the ranks of the new spiritual militia of which this man was superior, and to embrace the same charism which was by this time inspiring many religious in several countries of Christendom. A short time previously, Our Lady had appeared to him, prompting him to abandon the world, and now it seemed that this was the next step to be taken.
Albert was the name of this Bavarian, who, at the time of this episode, was just over 20 years of age. He would go down in history with the epithet “the Great”.
An unconditional “yes” to the Dominican vocation
St. Albert the Great was born in the small town of Lauingen, on a date not to be found in the registers of the period. He was orphaned while still a child, and his upbringing was entrusted to an uncle. His parents, the count and countess of Bollstädt, bequeathed him the qualities characteristic of noble lineage: a magnanimous character, penetrating intelligence, broad horizons, and a readiness to embrace a lofty ideal. These natural inclinations would be perfected by grace in the soul of Albert, who would later place them at the service of the Church.
Little is known of his childhood and adolescence, but it is certain that he made his religious profession around 26 years of age, when he had concluded his secular course and was set to embark on his religious studies. To take this step, he had to confront the open opposition of his uncle who refused to accept his entrance into a mendicant institute.
But the designs of Providence prevailed, for that young man of robust physical constitution demonstrated he was cut out for practicing the spirituality of the friar preachers. He had an astonishing aptitude for studies pertaining to philosophy, theology and natural science, having been accustomed since childhood to inquire into the reasons for creation, as he himself confessed: “I was already advanced in knowledge when, obeying the resolution of the Blessed Virgin and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I entered the Order.”2
Examining the order of the universe to find God
Upon conclusion of his theological studies at the University of Bologna, St. Albert was sent to Cologne, in 1228, to teach alongside his brothers of the Order. Much has been said of his penchant for teaching, but the students soon noted other gifts in their master, especially his magnificent understanding of the order established by God in the universe, characterized by an all-encompassing Weltanschauung — worldview — , attentive to the diverse wealth of inanimate and animate beings, in which he sought to discern reflections of the perfection of the Creator.
This propensity led him to delve into various fields of scientific knowledge, and he used his free time directly observing the elements of nature. This search, inspired by a religious inclination, prompted several of his written works, including interesting treatises dedicated to cosmography, meteorology, climatology, physics, mechanics, architecture, chemistry, mineralogy, anthropology, zoology, botany and astrology, the latter being a field which fascinated him.
The Saint became known during his life as the Universal Doctor, “not only for having ascended to theology and philosophical speculation, but because it was also his role to clarify human knowledge. […] With the constant resolution of soul of a true Catholic Doctor, Albert the Great is not fixed upon contemplation of this visible world, as often occurs with modern researchers of natural phenomena, but reaches beyond to the spiritual and supernatural, coordinating and subordinating all of science according to the dignity of the respective subjects, admirably ascending from inanimate to living beings, from living to spiritual creatures, from spirits to God.”3
Exponent of medieval scholasticism
However, it was in the doctrinal field that St. Albert the Great fully accomplished his vocation, as a philosopher and theologian dedicated to study, teaching, and preaching.
The thirteenth century was marked by enthusiastic interest in theological questions. This tendency largely explains the notable distinction attained by the Dominican school, which was soon dictating the destiny of the University of Paris. Throughout his fifty years dedicated to teaching, the Universal Doctor was active on this important stage, the heart of scholasticism at the time, lending it a note of sanctity that influenced his successors.
Docile to the decisions of religious superiors, he set out to visit the main European universities, competently carrying out the most demanding missions. Several episodes stand out, especially those occurring during his two years as a professor in Paris alongside an outstanding disciple: St. Thomas Aquinas.
The success of this duo was destined to leave an indelible mark on the annals of the Sorbonne, whose facilities were inadequate to hold the public that gathered to hear them. To this day, Maubert Square — Maître Albert —, in the centre of Paris, perpetuates the memory of the Saint in the very place where thousands of students flocked to see and hear him.
Placing Aristotle at the centre of the philosophical debate
Years of activity in Cologne and Paris also served as a means for St. Albert to bequeath his greatest philosophical legacy: the inclusion of the work of Aristotle on the horizon of Western Catholic thought.
Until that time, some Christian thinkers had sought to interpret the marvels of creation in view of their relationship with the realities of the Faith, and in this effort they had made relative progress, guided by Ancient philosophers. However, in actuality, these attempts amounted to nothing more than rough drafts, which revealed with greater or lesser success, aspects of much broader questions, of a speculative-metaphysical nature, which had not yet been confronted.
St. Albert the Great clearly discerned the problem, and sought a master who would offer an ordered system from which to develop the study of theology on solid foundations. In those very years, important Greek texts came to light, and although interpreted by Arabic philosophers, they drew the attention of the Saint due to their valuable Aristotelian contribution. Surprised at encountering explanations endowed with the necessary clarity to highlight the harmony of Christian dogma with right human reason, he soon concluded that the time was ripe to unearth all that was meritorious in the true work of the Stagirite.
To the degree that St. Albert the Great collaborated to focus attention on this goal, he aided the flourishing of medieval scholasticism. It was the support that had been lacking for men of firm religious convictions to erect the cathedral of Christian philosophical thought! “Albert the Great was the first who dared to set out on this arduous path with full awareness of its consequences and the immense work it would entail.”4
One of the many salutary consequences of this daring objective was the laying of the groundwork for the prince of sacra doctrina, St. Thomas Aquinas, to enter the scene.
Master of the Angelic Doctor
The Chapter of the Order of Preachers of 1245 was held in Cologne, where St. Albert taught. The General Master went there not only for the meeting, but also to bring to the city’s convent a novice from Naples: Thomas Aquinas, a young member of the nobility who had recently entered the Dominican family.
The adverse circumstances which had marked the first steps of the Angelic Doctor’s religious life prompted his superiors to send him to a distant location where his parents could no longer thwart the fulfilment of his vocation. Also, it was necessary that a tutor with qualities proportioned to the future Doctor of the Church aid him in developing his gifts.
It is said that St. Thomas prayed, from the time of his imprisonment, to meet St. Albert one day. As it happened, they lived for a considerable length of time in the same monastery. From the outset, an intimate union of knowledge and virtue was established between the two, which provided the community with an edifying image of the conviviality among the Blessed in eternity.
Astounded to see the greatest theologian of all time blossoming under his tutelage, St. Albert outdid himself in acknowledging the superiority of his student, as a biographer highlights: “he went so far as to completely overlook the importance and merit of his own works when he praised the Angelic Doctor, as if the latter had discovered the entire truth and resolved all the problems.”5
The premature death of St. Thomas, decades later, deeply saddened him, and even the mere mention of his name would move him deeply. St. Albert the Great was among the first to glimpse the future awaiting St. Thomas, and he glorified God for working such wonders in this chosen soul.
Provincial Superior and Bishop of Regensburg
Just as one does not light a lamp to keep it hidden, but places it aloft so that it may illuminate its surroundings, the lights with which God favoured this just man could not be confined to the university ambit. St. Albert’s confreres elected him Provincial of Germany for two mandates, and Pope Alexander IV appointed him Bishop of Regensburg, where disciplinary and doctrinal problems clamoured for a noble soul to rectify them.
Faithful to obedience, he embraced all the offices entrusted to him, and used his moral authority to extirpate error, implant order, and favour virtue. But after three years at the head of the Diocese, he asked the Holy Father to return to monastic life, for fear of not entirely fulfilling his religious vocation. The Pontiff acceded.
There remains a word to be said about St. Albert’s struggles against the doctrinal enemies of the Church in those circumstances, both within and without her walls. Ready to avail himself of his doctrinal arsenal to protect the faith of his flock, the Saint confronted the detractors of orthodoxy on several occasions, “always with full knowledge of the cause and great superiority of mind.”6 He used an expressive image to define them: “Heretics are similar to the foxes of Samson: like these animals, they all have different heads, but they are tied together by their tails, that is, they are always united when it comes to opposing the truth.”7
Final trial and edifying death
Despite being endowed with the gift of knowledge, St. Albert the Great was deeply humble: “Since, of ourselves, we are incapable of anything, especially of doing good, and we can only offer to God what belongs to Him, we should pray as He taught us with His blessed lips and through His own example—knowing that we are blameworthy, wretched, infirm and wanting souls—, like children and those who distrust themselves. We must speak to Him of all the dangers that surround us on all sides with humility, fear, and love, with an upright heart and complete confidence. Then we can repose and confide in Him until the end.”8
At the end of his life, the Saint chose the isolation of the cloister to prepare himself to meet God. Two years before his death he completely lost his memory, although he preserved the composure befitting one well advanced in virtue.
One day, the nuns of a Dominican convent asked him to tell them something edifying, to which he replied: “When someone suffers, we frequently imagine that his life is useless in the eyes of God. But when he is incapable of formulating prayers or carrying out good works, his sufferings and desires place him face to face with God, much more than thousands of others who enjoy good health.”9 This counsel sheds light on his inner dispositions at the approach of death, when the knowledge accumulated over more than 80 years had vanished, and his gaze was fixed on eternity, replacing all former aspirations.
On November 15, 1280, St. Albert the Great expired in the monastery of Cologne, leaving the Dominicans and the Universal Church a sublime example of the acquisition of knowledge as a means of sanctifying oneself and others. As he taught, “the power of the soul should be employed with the goal of attaining the perfection of love.”10 Indeed, all human wisdom is subject to charity, the queen of virtues, and this is the only one that will save us and lead us to Heaven! ◊
Notes
