Albertus Magnus

Fr. Scott A. Haynes

A Meditation in Honor of St. Albert the Great

November 15 - Feast Day

“If any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all abundantly and upbraideth not.” (James 1:5)

These words shine with special clarity on the feast of St. Albert the Great. Albert understood that true wisdom does not rise from pride or ambition. It is a gift poured out upon those who ask with humble hearts. His whole life shows what happens when a person seeks knowledge with faith, patience, and trust in the generosity of God.

When the Church celebrates St. Albert the Great, she honors more than one of the brightest minds of the Middle Ages. She honors a man who looked at the world with a child’s wonder and a saint’s faith, a man who saw no conflict between studying creation and adoring the Creator. His brilliance never made him proud. Instead, it made him grateful.

Albert lived at a time when new ideas were sweeping across Europe and scholars were struggling to understand how faith and reason fit together. Many worried that philosophical study would weaken belief. Albert felt the opposite. He believed that every truth, whether discovered in a field, a classroom, or a church, ultimately reflects the One who is Truth. Instead of running from questions, he welcomed them. Instead of fearing the natural world, he explored it. His quiet courage showed a generation of students that love of God can deepen love of learning, and that the world is full of mysteries waiting to be seen with reverence.

One of those students was a young Dominican who rarely spoke in class. Some of his classmates dismissed him as slow and unimpressive. Albert, however, saw what they did not. He recognized the depth of the young man’s mind and the simplicity of his heart. Under Albert’s guidance that student, Thomas Aquinas, grew into the theologian whose clarity would guide Catholic teaching for centuries. Albert’s legacy includes the formation of a saint whose writings continue to strengthen the Church.

Albert’s feast day invites you to pause and ask:

Do I seek wisdom through prayer? Do I believe that every beautiful truth in this world can lead me closer to God? Do I use my mind as a gift for His glory?

A Story to Inspire

In the last years of his life Albert began to lose his extraordinary memory. The man who had written volumes on science, philosophy, and theology sometimes forgot his place during a lecture. His students began whispering that the great master was slipping. Albert knew what was happening and accepted it with deep peace. He said that knowledge is a gift from God and that God gives and takes according to His wisdom. What mattered was to love Him faithfully.

This humility was perhaps Albert’s greatest lesson. For a man known as “the Great” to surrender his intellect so peacefully became a powerful witness. He had once inspired admiration for his brilliance. Now he inspired trust in God through his gentle acceptance.

Albert reminds us that holiness does not depend on our achievements. It grows in humility, fidelity, and the willingness to return every gift to God, even the ones that once defined us.

A Glimpse of God’s Care

One winter, during his service as bishop of Regensburg, Albert and his companions became lost in deep snow and bitter winds. The men feared that they would not reach shelter before nightfall. Albert knelt in the snow and prayed. When he rose, the wind softened and a narrow trail appeared in the whiteness ahead of them. They followed it safely to warmth. To those who witnessed it, this moment was a quiet miracle, a small sign of the Lord’s tenderness toward His faithful servant.

A Prayer for His Feast

Lord, through the example of St. Albert the Great, teach me to love truth in every form.

Grant me a heart that seeks You in creation, in Scripture, and in the stillness of prayer.

Make me humble in success and peaceful in weakness.

Give me a spirit of wonder, so that every good and beautiful thing in this world may lift my heart to You.

St. Albert the Great, pray for us.