The Monster of Thomism

Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange was one of the greatest Thomists of the 20th Century. He left the comforts of home to join the Order of Preachers and was eventually assigned to teach theology at the Angelicum. As a Thomistic Theologian, he took upon himself to defend the Church from the growing errors of modernism. To counter this threat, he started the movement of Strict-Observance Thomism which he would promote through lay study circles. His legacy would live on after his death, and a future Pope would use his teachings to fight modernism long after Fr. Reginald's death. Though he placed a strong focus on combating modernism, he was well known for his spirituality and sanctity of life.

       In Auch France 1877, Gontran-Marie Garrigou-Lagrange was born to a pious family, shortly after the French revolution. [1] As a youth, he was inspired to enter religious life by his grandfather's brother who was a Canon in the diocese of Toulouse. [2] As a youth, he lived a typical Catholic life, but was inspired to become a religious in college, after he meditated on the absoluteness of Catholic doctrine, and man’s supernatural destiny. [3] This led him to join the Order of Preachers where he obtained the habit in1897 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1902. [4] Reginald was the religious name he choose and he was sent to teach philosophy due to his keen intellect. [5] He was a great teacher and his superiors felt he would better aid the church teaching theology at the Angelicum. [6] Fr. Reginald was highly regarded for his spiritual theology and became the first chair of Ascetical-Mystical Theology in the church's history. [7] By 1960 he was too old to teach and lived in the priory at Santa Sabina, where he was asked to participate in the preparatory work of the Second Vatican Council, though he was too ill to complete the task. [8] He died on 17, February 1964 on the feast of Blessed Henry Suso. [9]

As a Thomistic philosopher and theologian, Father Garrigou took it upon himself to combat the new heresy of modernism sweeping through the church. [10] He was not serene and calm in the presence of heresy, due to his love for argumentation along with an ardent zeal for defending the church's doctrines. [11] According to Pope Pius X, this new heresy, which relied on bad philosophy to correct theology, could best be remedied with the writings of St. Thomas. [12] Fr. Reginald, in his lofty position, took his knowledge and love of Church doctrine and began combating this new threat. He wrote against the modernist propositions of several prominent Catholic philosophers who were infected with modernist thinking. [13] One of these philosophers was Maurice Blondel, who never revoked his dangerous opinion, but was a devout Catholic and acknowledged the problems revealed by Fr. Reginald. [14] Rather than writing refutation of modernist theologians, Fr. Reginald focused his attack against modernism by promoting Thomism.

The Thomistic study circles designed for the advanced intellectual formation of laymen was one of the methods Fr.Reginald used to fight the error of modernism. [15] These circles were started initially by Jacques Maritain who asked his highly respected friend Fr. Reginald to become the general director. [16] Once a year Fr. Reginald would preach a retreat on spirituality to the members of this organization, in spite of his already busy schedule. [17] His main themes were humanity, mortification and prayer, and many people, such as Fr. Yves Congar, were profoundly changed by his retreats and attained a love for Fr. Reginald’s spirituality. [18]

His most compelling work to counter the rising threat modernism was the promotion of Strict-Observance Thomism.[19] This system was created to defend the Church's teachings from modernism by defending the Aristotelian heritage in metaphysics as neither lacking or deficient. [20] In short, it defends Catholic doctrine by declaring that Christian truth is eternal and transcends the religious longings of individuals. [21] Fr. Reginald was the leading promoter of Strict-Observance Thomism and took great joy when it received a quasi-official status by its approval by the Sacred Congregation of Studies. [22] One of his significant contributions to this movement was the development of Thomistic epistemology, which was not explicitly stated in the writings of St. Thomas. [23] His epistemology relied on the metaphysical principle of identity, to confront modernism at its philosophical foundation that being is becoming. [24] 

         The hard work of Father Reginald would not be enough to end the error of modernism, however, his apprentices would continue the fight. Pope John Paul II originally was one of these men who continued to use his teaching in Strict-Observance Thomism, to defend the Church from modernism. [25] This was manifest in his encyclical Fides et Ratio, in which he stated that not all philosophy is equal and that much of modern philosophy is moving people away from the Church. [26] The encyclical implicitly compared the principles of Strict-Observance Thomism to right reason and would be a vindication of the life long work of Father Reginald. [27]

Not only was Father Reginald a great theologian and defender of the faith, but he was renowned for his spirituality. As a priest, he was known for his humility and rarely ate at restaurants. [28] He believed that smoking was contrary to his vow of poverty and spent much of his free time aiding the poor. [29] He wrote profoundly on the spiritual life and refuted a great error that only a selected few were called to a life of mysticism and asceticism. [30] This great accomplishment led him to become the first to hold the chair of Catholic Spiritual Theology in the Church’s history, as well as having a profound effect on the writings of Lumen Gentium on the universal call to holiness. [31] This led to his Magnum Opus on spirituality called “The Prelude to the Three Ages of the Interior Life,” which is still highly acclaimed by spiritual theologians today. [32]

          The Monster of Thomism reveals the life of a man who produced significant theological and philosophical contributions, as well as a profound and intimate spiritual life. His zeal for the faith led him to compose powerful rebukes against the heresy of modernism. This caused his dedication to promoting and enforcing the principles of Strict-Observance Thomism. Though he did not achieve the elimination of this error, his work would not go in vain, but would be vindicated by the Pope. His zeal to defend the faith was clearly a manifestation of his profound spiritual life. This holy Dominican truly lived the religious vow of poverty and wrote magnificent works on spiritual theology. The scholarly theological contributions are a manifestation of this love of God, as well as his life of poverty and concern for the poor. These significant manifestations have led me to believe he is a Saint in heaven, and I pray to him for guidance in the stuy of theology and my progress in the spiritual life.
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Footnotes

[1] Richard Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p. (South Bend: St. Augustine’s Press, 2005), 5.

[2] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 8.

[3] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 6.

[4] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 10,11.

[5] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 11.

[6] R.M. Pizzorni, “Garrigou-Lagrange, Reginald,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., vol.6 (Detroit: Gale, 2003), 101.

[7] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 16.

[8] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 22.

[9] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 22.

[10] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 73.

[11] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 51.

[12] Pope Pius X, Encyclical on the Doctrine of the Modernists Pascendi Dominici Gregis (8 September 1907), §45.

[13] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 63.

[14] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 74.

[15] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 84.

[16] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 83.

[14] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 74.

[15] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 84.

[16] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 85.

[17] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 86.

[18] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 86,87.

[19] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 120.

[20] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 120.

[21] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 121.

[22] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 120.

[23] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 127.

[24] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 128.

[25] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 216.

[26] Pope John Paul II, Encyclical letter on the Relationship between Faith and Reason Fides et Ratio (10 November 1979), §46.

[27] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 220.

[28] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 38.

[29] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 38.

[30] Pope John Paul II, Encyclical letter on the Relationship between Faith and Reason Fides et Ratio (10 November 1979), §181.

[31] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 181.

[32] Peddicord, The Sacred Monster of Thomism: An Introduction to the Life and Legacy of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, o.p., 208.

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