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About
Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the College’s curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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A Catholic Life
Under the Light of FaithThe intellectual tradition and moral teachings of the Catholic Church infuse the whole life of Thomas Aquinas College, illuminating the curriculum and the community alike.
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Is TAC Right for You?Do you enjoy grappling with complex questions? Are you willing to engage in discussions about difficult concepts, with the truth as your ultimate goal?
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Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC — something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
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Alumni & Careers
What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the College’s academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
Dr. O’Reilly’s Remarks at the 2025 President’s Dinner
Of Sheep & Wolves, Doves & Serpents
by Paul J. O’Reilly, Ph.D.
President, Thomas Aquinas College
Remarks at the New England President’s Dinner
May 21, 2025
As you prepare to leave Thomas Aquinas College, you stand at a threshold: not unlike the disciples who were sent out by Christ into the world. So, to you, too, these words from the Gospel of St. Matthew are spoken:
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
You have spent these past years forming your minds in the light of faith. You grew not only in knowledge but in virtue. Your spiritual lives have also been nourished while at the College.
There will be times when your faith is tested: not always through open hostility, but more often through subtle temptations to compromise. There will be pressure to remain silent when truth demands to be spoken, and the urge to conform when conscience calls you to stand apart. Christ, in His divine foresight, has already warned you. The challenge is not a surprise: It is part of the mission. Jesus told you clearly that you are being sent as sheep among wolves.
Think for a moment about the image He uses. Sheep are creatures of gentleness; they do not have speed or strength; they have no shell or sting. They seem helpless in the face of wolves, who are swift, cunning, and predatory. What hope do they have?
So, what chance do you have? And yet, St. Ambrose put it:
…the Good Shepherd has no fear of wolves … [it is] the watchfulness of the good Shepherd [that] causes the wolves to attempt nothing against the sheep.
You are not sent out alone. Christ, your shepherd, watches over you. If suffering should come, it is neither due to His absence nor His ignorance. Rather, it is part of a plan, mysterious and divine. Christ does not promise comfort, but He does promise His presence.
“Behold I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.”
But He also told us how to prepare ourselves: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” St. Thomas tells us that being wise as serpents and innocent as doves refers to prudence and simplicity. The world you enter will require both.
Consider the wisdom of the serpent. Cardinal Newman reflecting on this verse comments (Sermon 20):
The serpent was chosen by the Enemy of mankind, as the instrument of his temptations in Paradise, it is very remarkable that Christ should choose it as the pattern of wisdom for His followers. It is as if He appealed to the whole world of sin … It is as if … it were our duty … to rival the wicked in endowments of mind, and to excel them in their exercise … We are forbidden the weapons of violence, but we are commanded to wield the power of reason, of subtlety, of intellectual discipline.
You must be alert, discerning, strategically wise: able to recognize evil not only in its gross forms, but in its more seductive disguises. That is why Jesus adds that we should be innocent as doves.
Again Cardinal Newman:
By innocence, or harmlessness, is meant simplicity in act, purity in motive, honesty in aim; acting conscientiously and religiously, according to the matter in hand, without caring for consequences or appearances; doing what appears one’s duty, and being obedient for obedience’s sake, and leaving the event to God. This is to be innocent as the dove; yet this conduct is the truest wisdom.
He continues:
It is true wisdom to leave the event to God … Moreover, meekness, gentleness, patience, and love, have in themselves a strong power to melt the heart of those who witness them. Cheerful suffering, too, leads spectators to sympathy, till, perhaps, a reaction takes place in the minds of men, and they are converted by the sight, and glorify their Father Who is in heaven.
This is your call: not merely to act with cleverness, but with integrity. Not to manipulate, but to witness. True wisdom is not found in calculated self-preservation, but in joyful fidelity to what is good and true, even when it costs something.
You must be bold in truth, yet never harsh in tone. We all know that “actions speak louder than words,” so strive that your lives speak louder than your words. You must choose fidelity over popularity, courage over convenience, and joy over cynicism. You will not walk this road alone. Christ is with you. His church is with you. Your formation here has given you deep roots, and now it is time to bear fruit.
You have been given much, and much will be asked of you. You must now put your education at the service of the common good. You are called to enter a world that is broken. Enter it not with fear or bitterness, but with the hope that springs from Christ, the Good Shepherd, who has overcome the wolves of this world.
May God bless you.