Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 7 March 1274), was a Doctor of the Church, Philosopher, Theologian, Jurist, Dominican Friar, and Priest. Known as Doctor Angelicus "Angelic Doctor," and the Doctor Communis "Universal Doctor" his writings serve as a defense and proof of the validity of Christ's authority over all. The Summa contra Gentiles (also known as Liber de veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium, "Book on the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the unbelievers"). The Summa contra Gentiles consists of four books. The structure of Saint Thomas's work is designed to proceed from general philosophical arguments for monotheism, to which Muslims and Jews are likely to consent even within their own respective religious traditions, before progressing to the discussion of specifically Christian doctrine.
Book II is dedicated to the Creation (in other words, the physical universe, everything which exists).
Whether you are a history enthusiast, a student of religion, or simply curious about the impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the world, this playlist is designed to provide an informative and engaging journey through its captivating past. Subscribe to the Contemplating History channel for more educational content and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of history.
04 July 2026
Summa Contra Gentiles, Book II: XII Relations Said of God, Reference to Creatures Aren’t Really in God
From Contemplating History\
Pope Leo's Guide to Resisting AI's Culture of Power | Magnifica Humanitas Roundtable 3
From Catholic Truth Society
In this final episode of our roundtable discussion on Magnifica Humanitas, the team explore how we can each live out Pope Leo's call to resist the Culture of Power and build a Civilisation of Love.
You can get Pope Leo's new encyclical on AI from CTS now: https://bit.ly/4dQbjFM
Secrets of Queen Victoria’s Coffin | What Was Buried With Queen Victoria?
From History Calling
WHAT’S IN QUEEN VICTORIA’S COFFIN (apart from her, of course)? The death of Queen Victoria occurred on 22 January 1901 at Osborne House. She was 81 years old and was buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore within Windsor Great Park. Before her coffin was sealed, however, a large number of items were placed in it with her according to her last wishes, as expressed in a document written in 1897. Some of them were romantic, some were tragic, and some of them were downright scandalous. In this royal history documentary from History Calling, I take you through what Queen Victoria was buried with, using her own handwritten instructions, plus an eyewitness account from Sir James Reid, Victoria’s doctor and one of the people who saw the Queen in her coffin and was responsible for placing many of the items she had requested in there with her. You’ll hear about the references to her long-dead and much-missed husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the heartbreaking item she wanted interred with her, which referenced her daughter, Princess Alice and the items which hinted that she had engaged in a love affair in her later years and perhaps even a secret marriage to John Browne. I’ll also tell you who put Queen Victoria in her coffin, and it’s probably not who you might think.
As well as giving you the list of items in Queen Victoria’s coffin, I’ll be discussing her reasons for wanting these items with her, what it says about her religious beliefs and the performative aspect of coffin goods, especially when one is royal.
Can’t Cope With Heatwaves? Let’s Hope St Swithin Listens
From Aleteia
By Cerith Gardiner
If you've already had enough of this summer's heat, July 15 might just become the most important date on your calendar.After weeks of sweltering temperatures across much of Europe, there is one British saint I never thought I'd find myself calling upon for a little help: St. Swithin.
Celebrated each year on July 15 (originally on July 2; see note below), St. Swithin (or St. Swithun) was the Bishop of Winchester in the 9th century. He was known for his humility, asking to be buried outside where "the sweet rain of heaven" and the footsteps of ordinary people could fall upon his grave.
More than a century after his death, those wishes seemed about to be ignored. Following his canonization, church leaders decided to move St. Swithin's remains into Winchester Cathedral. According to legend, the heavens objected.
As workers prepared to transfer his relics in 971, torrential rain began to fall, delaying the move for 40 days. Before long, a piece of English folklore was born: If it rains on St. Swithin's feast day, July 15, it will continue to rain for the next 40 days. If the sun shines instead, fair weather will follow. Meteorologists, it should be said, remain politely unconvinced!
Even so, the legend has endured for centuries, inspiring one of England's best-known weather sayings:
"St. Swithin's Day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain.
St. Swithin's Day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair."
You have to admire the British for weaving a 9th-century bishop into the weather forecast.
One note: July 2 was the date of his death in 862 AD (and thus was celebrated; it is still the feast day in Norway and the Roman Martyrology). But, as is the case with many feasts, it was later moved to the day of the transfer of his relics.
40 days of rain?
Of course, nobody is suggesting we should plan our summer holidays around a medieval weather prediction. But it's rather delightful that one saint's feast day has become just as much a talking point for gardeners and picnickers as it is for pilgrims.
Now then, 40 days of rain? Ask me a month ago and I'd have said absolutely not. Ask me after trying to sleep in a Paris apartment without air conditioning, where it was around 95°F indoors at midnight, and, well … let's just say St. Swithin's weather legend suddenly sounds a lot more appealing!
SSPX Respond to the Pope's Decree of Excommunication
SSPX Superior General Fr Davide Pagliarani issues a formal response to Leo and Fernandez's excommunication decree that canonists now say isn't even legal, while Pope Leo is awarded the Liberty Medal for being a promoter of causes condemned by formal Papal teaching.
Europe's Forgotten Terror - The Pirates Who Enslaved a Million People
From The History Squad
Who were the Barbary Pirates?
For over 300 years, the Muslim jihadist Barbary Pirates terrorised coastal Europe — striking as far north as Iceland and as close to home as Ireland, England, Spain, and Italy. Men, women, and children vanished from beaches in the dead of night. Some estimates suggest more than a million Europeans were captured and sold into slavery. Yet today, few people are aware of this forgotten slave trade.
In this documentary, join Kevin Hicks as he uncovers who the Barbary Pirates really were and how they built a slave-trading empire that the most powerful nations of the time struggled to stop.
Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | July
Sacred Numbers in Scripture? Why 3, 7, and 12 Keep Appearing
From Totus Catholica
Why do the same numbers keep showing up across Scripture—from Genesis to Revelation?
No, it’s not numerology. It’s theology.
In this video, you’ll discover how the numbers 3, 7, and 12 act as divine “signposts” throughout salvation history. They don’t just mark time or quantity—they symbolise God’s order, covenant, and kingdom. Learn how biblical authors—and the Holy Spirit—used numbers to reveal deep truths about God’s nature, the Church, and your spiritual life.
✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why Jesus rose on the third day, and why Peter denied Him three times
What makes seven the number of the covenant
How twelve forms the foundation of the Church
What the Church Fathers and Catechism say about symbolic numbers
How to read the Bible with deeper spiritual awareness
⏳ Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction: Why Sacred Numbers Matter
1:20 - The Mystery of Numbers in Scripture
2:02 - The Biblical Worldview of Numbers
2:29 - The Number 3: Divine Completeness and the Trinity
3:25 - The Number 7: Perfection, Covenant, and Rest
3:57 - The Number 12: Divine Governance and Unity
6:20 - Addressing Objections: Is This Numerology?
7:15 - Practical Takeaways: Applying Sacred Numbers to Your Life
8:24 - Conclusion & Blessing
📖 Key Scripture & References:
Genesis 2:2 – Creation & Sabbath
Luke 1:28, Matthew 10:1–4, Revelation 21;12–14
Matthew 12:40 – Jonah as a type of Christ
Catechism of the Catholic Church – CCC 114, CCC 2116
St. Augustine, St. Ambrose – Sacred symbolism in numbers
💬 Discussion Prompt:
Have you noticed patterns of 3, 7, or 12 in your Bible reading or prayer life?
How do these sacred numbers help you understand the Mass, the sacraments, or Scripture more deeply?
The Little-Known Story of How St Thomas the Apostle Brought Christianity to India
St Thomas the Apostle is revered in India as the Enlightener of the country, because just years after Pentecost, he brought the Faith to the people of the subcontinent.
From Aleteia
By Lucien de Guise
For the St. Thomas Christians, there is still no doubt that theirs is an unbroken tradition going back to their patron’s arrival in the year 52.
Pentecost delivered the gift of tongues soon after Jesus had proclaimed: “… go and make disciples of all nations.” The paradox is how little recognition goes to the evangelist who used his powers of communication to take the message further than anyone else.
Eight days after Jesus met his disciples following the Resurrection, he encountered St. Thomas. Since then, St. Thomas the Apostle has been better known as Doubting Thomas. His least-used title is “Apostle of India.” In the Subcontinent, the situation is very different. There, even the vast non-Christian majority of 1.7 billion are mostly aware of his role as missionary extraordinaire.
When Vasco da Gama’s fleet reached India in 1498, the Portuguese were surprised to find Christian communities thriving in the south of the Subcontinent. They were even more surprised by the locals’ certainty that their church had been established by St. Thomas. They shouldn’t have been, as countless travellers, including Marco Polo, had claimed that the saint’s grave was there. St. Thomas had preached to the Hindus and the Jews of southern India and had won thousands of converts. For the St. Thomas Christians, there is still no doubt that theirs is an unbroken tradition going back to their patron’s arrival in 52.
Click here to launch the slideshow.
There has been a revival of interest in St. Thomas’s path through the Middle East, with the continuing plight of Christians in Syria and Iraq. Further east than that, however, the co-religionist radar is picking up almost nothing. A recent book by one of the most enterprising travelers of present times might help western Christians look again at the development of their faith.
Serena Fass is an 80-year-old writer, photographer and wanderer who has followed St. Thomas’s progress across much of Asia. Her book In the Footsteps of St. Thomas corroborates the evidence that has existed for centuries. This does not come from the Bible or other texts that historians find unreliable, although written sources described his travels as long ago as 1,800 years. On-site investigation is the new key to unlocking the truth about St. Thomas.
There are few Christian communities that go back to the time of Jesus’s disciples. Serena Fass finds much to support the beliefs that the faithful in India hold firm to, although there are still plenty who dispute them. In those pioneering days, India was the magnet that drew Europe to the East. When Columbus chanced upon what was later called the West Indies, it was India he thought he had reached. India was the trading world’s most profitable destination.
The evidence of Thomas’s presence in India is considerable. Some of it stretches the imagination while the rest is at least as plausible as the Turin Shroud, albeit with less publicity. Keeping a low profile has been the secret of survival. Levels of hostility to Christians in India are on the rise, and the belief that St. Thomas was martyred by either a local ruler or a Brahmin priest hardly lessens what is considered by some Hindus to be a blood libel.
St. Thomas’s tomb is less conspicuous than that of other Apostles to be honored with a basilica. His original south Indian resting place was not in a Christian stronghold, and he was buried without much ceremony. Most of his bones were removed from India in the 3rd century and sent to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where the saint’s vital role in India was acknowledged at the time. Once again the bones’ progress is followed across the globe by Serena Fass as they eventually end up in the Italian town of Ortona.
The Catholic Church maintains a neutral stance on the proposition that Christianity might have been established in India long before it was in most of Europe. There is more evidence of St. Thomas’s life in India than anywhere else; in 1956 Pope Pius XII granted minor basilica status to San Thome Cathedral in Madras.
Serena Fass has collated traditions handed down over almost 2,000 years, along with a physical trail that includes some very old Crosses. The “Thomas Christians” of India use a Cross of distinctive shape. Crucifixes are rare, as would be expected of a community that started long before the Corpus became an accepted part of Christian imagery.
Relics of St. Thomas are less common than his tombs, of which there are purportedly six. A fascinating reliquary exists in Mylapore. Originally housing some of the saint’s bones, it is now empty. The decoration tells a heartening story of coexistence in India. With decoration in Hindu style, probably by Muslim craftsmen, on a Christian theme, it is a testament to Indian multiculturalism. The only thing missing is a Jewish element; it is known that the earliest converts to Christianity in southern India were, like Thomas himself, Jews. This is part of the Diaspora that tends to be as forgotten by the Jewish community as St. Thomas of India is by Christians around the world.
Even if every other part of the St. Thomas story is one day proved to be false, there can be no doubting the Thomas Christians’ incontrovertible inks with Syrian Christianity. In southern India they still use the liturgical Syriac language — a dialect of the Aramaic language spoken by Jesus and St. Thomas. Syria was the bedrock of early Christianity and an important part of the Roman empire, trading with southern India from the Red Sea. This was inevitable for the Romans, with their addiction to pepper and knowledge of monsoon winds. Roman coins and other evidence is found in abundance. In the 1930s one of Britain’s greatest archaeologists, Sir Mortimer Wheeler, even found the remains of a Roman trading post.
At a time when the earliest Christian communities are being eradicated in the Middle East, their legacy at least lives on in India, thanks to St. Thomas.
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