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Wrocławski Przegląd Teologiczny

Vol. 33 No. 2 (2025): A Tribute to Thomas Aquinas

Systematic theology

St. Thomas on Devotion and Contemplation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52097/wpt.9736  [Google Scholar]
Published: 2026-01-05

Abstract

The article aims to explore the interconnectedness of contemplation and devotion according to the theological insights of St. Thomas Aquinas. Central to this exploration is the dynamic relationship between the intellect and the affections (affectus). The first section of the article notes that while Thomas’s understanding of contemplation is fundamentally intellectual, he emphasizes the role of the affections as its motive cause. The second section presents the reciprocal interaction between devotion – one such motive cause – on the one hand, and meditation and contemplation, on the other hand, which interaction instantiates the dynamics of reciprocal interaction between intellect and will. The third section first deals with the disruptive effect of sin on devotion which, as an act of the virtue or religion pertaining to the will, orients towards final beatitude. It then demonstrates that the power of Christ’s Passion, communicated through faith and the sacraments, is the remedy for this disorder. The conclusion summarises the main findings, relating them to Thomas’s celebrated experience during Mass at the Chapel of St. Nicholas, Naples, on 6 December 1273, and pointing to the significant role that the Eucharist plays in cultivating both devotion and contemplation.

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