Straw and Glory

Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026

Readings: 1 Corinthians 2 | Psalm 78:38-72

Thomas Aquinas was arguably the greatest theologian of the Middle Ages, a man who dictated to several secretaries at once and left behind millions of words. Then, on December 6, 1273, something happened while he was celebrating Mass. We don’t know exactly what. He never wrote another page. When a friend urged him to keep working on his unfinished Summa, he reportedly replied that everything he had written seemed like straw compared to what had been revealed to him. He died a few months later.

Whatever happened in that chapel, it echoes Paul’s words to the Corinthians. Paul, himself no slouch intellectually, reminds them that he came “in weakness with great fear and trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3), resolving “to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). This isn’t anti-intellectualism. The church has always loved rigorous thought. It’s a reminder that the deepest things of God are given, not deduced. “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” are the things God has prepared for those who love him, and “these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

Think of the relief in that. You don’t need a flawless theology degree to be known by God. Study hard, ask questions, hold mystery with open hands, and remember that the Spirit who searches the depths of God is the same Spirit who lives in you.

Devotional Prompts:

Is there a place in your faith where you’ve valued being right more than being receptive to the Spirit?
How do you hold both careful study and sacred mystery together?
What would it look like to make “Jesus Christ and him crucified” the center of your week?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, searcher of the depths of God, open our eyes to what no eye has seen and no mind has conceived. Humble our cleverness and deepen our wonder. Anchor us in Christ crucified, and let our lives be marked by awe. Amen.