When [Saint Thomas] wept and prayed in this way, or when he was trying to find the answer to a difficult question, very often he did not hear nor feel what was going on about him. So one day, when he was at the table of the King Saint Louis, the two saints seated side by side, Brother Thomas, forgetful of the circumstances and the place, rapped loudly on the table and cried out, “So much for the heresy of the Manicheans!” “Master,” said the Prior who accompanied him, “be careful, you are at the table of the King of France.” And saying this, he pulled at his cloak to bring him out of this state of holy distraction.
Raïssa Maritain (1883–1960)