Here is an update from the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena in Iraq dated August 3rd from the op.org website.

So far, 510 families have been displaced from Mosul. Some were fortunate to leave before the deadline ISIS set as they were able to take their belongings with them. However, 160 families of them left Mosul with only their clothes on; everything they had was taken away from them.

These families are in so much need of help and support. People in Christian towns that received these refugees opened their homes to provide shelters and food for them, as much as they could. People are strongly willing to help, but the fact that they did not have their salaries for two months (June- July) makes it extremely difficult for them to offer more. As the salaries of government employees in areas under ISIS control are being suspended. Additionally, because of the present situation in Mosul and the whole province (of Nineveh) the economy of the state is suffering, which naturally affects everyone. Since the tension started in Mosul, many people lost their jobs as 99% of jobs stopped, which means there is hardly any money to be used let alone loaning to those who are in need. This is not only in the province of Nineveh, but also in Erbil. Moreover, all Christians in the plain of Nineveh have not received their food supplement, which the government used to provide via the smart ration card. This is causing a crisis not only for the refugees, but also for the residents in the area.

Read the whole article at op.org and keep our fellow Christians in the Middle East in your prayers.

As members of the Dominican family we are rightly proud of the Angelic Doctor St. Thomas Aquinas. He was undoubtedly one of the brightest men to ever live and his works such as the Summa Theologiæ and the Catena Aurea are treasure troves of the best of Catholic thought about the nature of God, Man, virtue, the Scriptures, and more. Unlocking St. Thomas’ thought can be tough for the modern reader. There are many good resources out there and one that is easily available and an easy introduction to St. Thomas is Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages by Taylor Marshall. From the introduction:

Why should you read a book about Thomas Aquinas?

This is the world’s most concise and easy to read book on the thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas. It’s only 50 pages, so be aware that it is not the most thorough treatment. A thorough treatment would be 5,000 pages, but you don’t have that much time. Nevertheless, if you read this short book and understand what it lays out, you will be in the top 0.001% of people in the world who have a working knowledge of the philosophy and theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas. You will have the knowledge to pass a class called “Thomas Aquinas 101,” and you will be ready to study Thomas Aquinas at the collegiate level. You will have the building blocks to move forward.

I’d highly recommend going to taylormarshall.com and signing up for his free email updates to get this book in pdf format.