37. This is to say that with the light of reason human beings can know which path to take, but they can follow that path to its end, quickly and unhindered, only if with a rightly tuned spirit they search for it within the horizon of faith. At the First Vatican Council, the Fathers had stressed the supernatural character of God's Revelation. Fides et Ratio Sunday, February 22, 2009. In the present situation, therefore, it is most significant that some philosophers are promoting a recovery of the determining role of this tradition for a right approach to knowledge. No one can avoid the need to address life's ultimate questions (n. 27). But it was the task of the fathers of philosophy to bring to light the link between reason and religion. According to the Apostle, it was part of the original plan of the creation that reason should without difficulty reach beyond the sensory data to the origin of all things: the Creator. 106. God alone is the Absolute. With the use of historical method, knowledge of the works of Saint Thomas increased greatly, and many scholars had courage enough to introduce the Thomistic tradition into the philosophical and theological discussions of the day. With the rise of rationalism, faith and reason became separated with disastrous consequences. In theology too the temptations of other times have reappeared. There the sacred author speaks of God who reveals himself in nature. The rigorous and far-reaching study of philosophical doctrines, their particular terminology and the context in which they arose, helps to overcome the danger of eclecticism and makes it possible to integrate them into theological discourse in a way appropriate to the task. Conversely, the dismantling of this arrangement has created serious gaps in both priestly formation and theological research. Rightly concerned to make theological discourse relevant and understandable to our time, some theologians use only the most recent opinions and philosophical language, ignoring the critical evaluation which ought to be made of them in the light of the tradition. In making this discernment, we Bishops have the duty to be âwitnesses to the truthâ, fulfilling a humble but tenacious ministry of service which every philosopher should appreciate, a service in favour of recta ratio, or of reason reflecting rightly upon what is true. The Church has no philosophy of her own nor does she canonize any one particular philosophy in preference to others.54 The underlying reason for this reluctance is that, even when it engages theology, philosophy must remain faithful to its own principles and methods. In this work of discernment, which finds its inspiration in the Council's Declaration Nostra Aetate, certain criteria will have to be kept in mind. Obviously other names could be cited; and in referring to these I intend not to endorse every aspect of their thought, but simply to offer significant examples of a process of philosophical enquiry which was enriched by engaging the data of faith. 1 Th 2:13). Revelation has set within history a point of reference which cannot be ignored if the mystery of human life is to be known. The Constitution Dei Verbum puts it eloquently: âAfter speaking in many places and varied ways through the prophets, God 'last of all in these days has spoken to us by his Son' (Heb 1:1-2). A philosophy which responds to the challenge of theology's demands and evolves in harmony with faith is part of that âevangelization of cultureâ which Paul VI proposed as one of the fundamental goals of evangelization. This is a complex theme to ponder, since one must reckon seriously with the meaning which words assume in different times and cultures. 101. This is an essential condition for us to become ourselves and to grow as mature, adult persons. When it adopts this stance, philosophy, like theology, comes more directly under the authority of the Magisterium and its discernment, because of the implications it has for the understanding of Revelation, as I have already explained. Theology is the study of the Catholic faith with revelation as its first principles. In different ways and at different times, men and women have shown that they can articulate this intimate desire of theirs. Faith is man's obedient response to God's revelation (n. 13). "God so loved the world that he sent his only Son…" (Jn. 26. This truth, which God reveals to us in Jesus Christ, is not opposed to the truths which philosophy perceives. When, on the basis of preconceived assumptions, these positions tend to obscure the contents of faith or to deny their universal validity, then not only do they abase reason but in so doing they also disqualify themselves. Truth and freedom either go together hand in hand or together they perish in misery. Reprinted with permission of the author, John E. Fagan, and Scepter Publishers. In my first Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis, I wrote: “We have become sharers in this mission of the prophet Christ, and in virtue of that mission we together with him are serving divine truth in the Church. The dynamic of this quest for liberation provides the context for great metaphysical systems. In the first chapter of his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul helps us to appreciate better the depth of insight of the Wisdom literature's reflection. Consider, for example, the natural knowledge of God, the possibility of distinguishing divine Revelation from other phenomena or the recognition of its credibility, the capacity of human language to speak in a true and meaningful way even of things which transcend all human experience. This applies equally to the judgements of moral conscience, which Sacred Scripture considers capable of being objectively true. In the Eucharist, Christ is truly present and alive, working through his Spirit; yet, as Saint Thomas said so well, âwhat you neither see nor grasp, faith confirms for you, leaving nature far behind; a sign it is that now appears, hiding in mystery realities sublimeâ.16 He is echoed by the philosopher Pascal: âJust as Jesus Christ went unrecognized among men, so does his truth appear without external difference among common modes of thought. ERE TODAY not Sunday, we would be celebrating the feast of St. Albert the Great. 46. Following Saint Paul, other writers of the early centuries, especially Saint Irenaeus and Tertullian, sound the alarm when confronted with a cultural perspective which sought to subordinate the truth of Revelation to the interpretation of the philosophers. He experiences not only an innate need for the truth but also an innate need for a person to whom he might entrust himself on the journey to find it (n. 33). As St. Thomas Aquinas argued, because the light of reason and the light of faith both come from God, there can be no contradiction between them (n. 43). Its task is rather the defence of the faith: âThe teaching of the Saviour is perfect in itself and has no need of support, because it is the strength and the wisdom of God. This in no way creates division, because the community of the baptized is marked by a universality which can embrace every culture and help to foster whatever is implicit in them to the point where it will be fully explicit in the light of truth. 1: 20, n. 19). Predecessors, I am still with youâ ( Acts 17:22-23 ). philosophizing, a culture of Christian comes! Is now the southwestern United States made rock engravings of it in competition the! 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