In ‘Crossing Borders,’ we interviewed the priest and theologian Juan José Llamedo González. We discussed the fascinating figure of Saint Thomas Aquinas through two of his recent books: ‘The Truth of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ and ‘Life of Saint Thomas Aquinas,’ both published by San Pablo.

‘The Truth of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ is a fictionalized account that delves into the life, mindset, and personality of Thomas Aquinas, aiming to reveal the intensity and fruitfulness of his barely fifty years of life. Juan José Llamedo presents Saint Thomas as a tireless seeker of Truth, portraying a man who knew his own fragility and insignificance and shunned all labels, pride, and self-deification. The book coincides with the double anniversary of the saint's birth, celebrated between 2024 and 2025: 750 years since his death and 800 years since his birth. Although his influence, which extends beyond the 13th century, reaches far beyond theology and philosophy, and his more than one hundred extensively studied writings have lost none of their relevance, few works, like the one we present here, have delved into the personality of one of the most influential thinkers in history.

Without the contribution of Thomas Aquinas, Christian and Western culture cannot be understood: he revolutionized thought and society, defending human dignity and demonstrating that faith and reason are not antagonistic and that human beings, with the correct use of their intelligence and will, can achieve happiness. In a brief overview of the different stages of his life (childhood and youth, his student days in Naples, his dark night of the soul, his formation in Cologne, his two periods as a teacher in Paris, and his later years), the ‘Life of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ allows us to discover that the life, work, and message of Saint Thomas continue to be a source of inspiration for the Church and for those who seek wisdom through truth.

This program features the collaboration of Pauline priest Pepe Pedregosa.