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Inspirational Sermon Illustrations on Rejection
Explore powerful illustrations on rejection. Discover stories, analogies, humor and more as you bring your sermon to life.
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The “Dumb Ox” Becomes One of the Church’s Greatest Thinkers
Of the medieval church’s many intellectual leaders, none has had more influence than the philosophical theologian Thomas Aquinas. He was born to a noble family near Naples, Italy, and joined the Dominican Order of Preachers as a teenager. At the time, the Dominicans were a new monastic movement that lacked prestige and social standing.
The Dominicans required their members to renounce personal wealth as part of their mission to renew sound doctrine and holy life within the church. Thomas’s family was appalled that their son would join such a radical group and locked him in their castle tower, hoping to dissuade him with rich foods and comforts.
Thomas would not succumb and made the most of his time. He tutored his sisters, prayed, memorized Scripture, and read deeply. After two years of imprisonment, his family finally relented, and Thomas was released to study with the Dominicans. At school, Thomas was nicknamed “the Dumb Ox” because of his heavy stature, shy disposition, and slowness of speech.
One of Thomas’s teachers, recognizing his talents, told his class, “I assure you the bellowing of that ox will one day fill the world.” In time, the wisdom of this “Dumb Ox” became evident to all, and his nickname changed to “the Angelic Doctor.”
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