Today November 15

Today is the feast of St. Albert the Great (1206 - 1280). I think this great teacher and scientist, bishop of Ratisbon and Regensburg, champion of reason, should be made "patron of the Internet." And I'll tell you why. I think not only because he had encyclopedic -- one might even say "wikipedic" :) -- knowledge, but he had a sudden and inexplicable loss of memory! Reboot!

He did, in fact, have a prodigious gift of intellect and ability. He wrote 38 books -- akin to textbooks -- and was an authority on physics, geography, astronomy, mineralogy, alchemy, biology -- including botany and physiology -- and demonstrated categorically that the earth is round. (And this 600 years before Columbus!) He was above all a philosopher. He understood, taught and wrote about math (then part of philosophy), logic, ethics and metaphysics as well. And this all while he was running (and reforming) his diocese!

His most famous student, of course, was St. Thomas of Aquinas, whom he recognized early and defended all his life. He outlived St. Thomas (which broke his heart, he loved that great man so), and hurried to defend him even when he was old and sick. He went to Paris to confront the bishop there (Stephen Tempier) and offered to debate him on any issue relating to the thought and teaching of his great student. He wasn't taken up on it. Not long afterward, in 1278, he completely lost his memory. He lived for two more years suffering in an Alzheimer's-like state, and he died in peace, sitting in his chair among his brethren. The date was November 15, 1280.

He struggled with school as a young man, but he persevered -- boy, did he persevere! -- he was always tempted with the secular life, too, but fought it. He had a great devotion to Our Lady (whom he saw in a vision as a young man), and strove to live a blameless life as a priest, bishop and Dominican. He outshone his colleagues and engendered all kinds of jealousy, but that didn't stop him. He never "dumbed it down" in order to be liked, but told it like it was, and endeavored to learn and share as much knowledge as was humanly possible!

He was one of those rare people -- if not unique -- who was made a doctor BEFORE he was even canonized! He wasn't beatified until 1622. And he wasn't made a doctor til 1931 ("thereby equivalently declaring him to be a saint" - Butler's Lives). But he enjoyed the people's devotion (especially in Germany -- the bishops there constantly petitioned for his canonization) and admiration from students everywhere. Good St. Albert. pray for us.