Fides et Ratio
Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contempation of the truth. –Pope John Paul II
This blog’s recent discussion on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist has led to some fascinating places, among them being thoughts on what place faith and reason have in the life of Christian believers. Our dialogue led me back to Pope John Paul II’s 1998 encyclical on the subject entitled Fides et Ratio. I hope to share some reflections over the next several days on this papal letter as well as the strength behind supporting our faith with the tools of human reason. Christians rely upon divine revelation as our primary source of knowledge when it comes to God, yet we believe he has revealed himself in the natural world as well.
Pope John Paul II begins his encyclical by pointing out one of our basic human desires, which is to know oneself. In this search to know oneself we become seekers of the truth, people who look to understand the world around us and the meaning of human life. This search for meaning begins as children and is seen very clearly in gift of wonder. John Paul writes,
These fundamental elements of knowledge spring from the wonder awakened in them by the contemplation of creation….without wonder, men and women would lapse into a deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal.
We should all hope to never lose this childlike sense of wonder. Speaking to preachers in his book As One Without Authority, Fred Craddock describes well the value of wonder,
William Wordsworth lamented for all of us the fading of those alert years when “the heart leaped up” at the sight of a rainbow or when eyes not yet dulled by dissipation could catch the “splendor in the grass”. The physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer once said, “There are children playing in the streets who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.” All his life the minister needs to do battle against this gradual loss, for he knows that, as far as his preaching is concerned, it is better to have a child’s eye than an orator’s tongue.
The true theologian ought always to begin with wonder.
The pope also emphasizes the great value found in the tools of reason when they can help us discover the fundamental truths about human life. Though many modern Christians believe the disciplines of science and reason are in opposition to the Christian faith, John Paul asserts the opposite when he states that,
the Church considers philosophy an indispensable help for a deeper understanding of faith and for communicating the truth of the Gospel to those who do not yet know it.
It has always been encouraging to me, especially when speaking with non-believers, to know that the Church is very much concerned with seeking the truth and in sharing it with others. Christ has revealed Himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life. When we encounter those who are genuine seekers of the truth through reason we have an opportunity as fellow seekers to point them toward Christ, who is the ultimate truth.
In concluding the introduction to his encyclical, John Paul draws attention to the fact that modern philosophy has often neglected the search for ultimate truth which has led to the relativism of our current age.
Rather than make use of the human capacity to know the truth, modern philosophy has preferred to accentuate the ways in which this capacity is limited and conditioned.
My current housemate, Fr. David, and I were speaking about this very thing last night. If the truth is relative, if no opinion holds more weight than another, it becomes impossible for there to be any reliable knowledge and perhaps more deadly is that there can be no real commitment, no real community. Christianity hinges on the fact that we can come to know the truth, both through the divine revelation of God and from those things he reveals to us through natural reason. This is where Pope John Paul begins his reflections in Fides et Ratio. It is my hope to continue to reflect upon his thoughts throughout the week and that the readers of this blog will share their input as we explore together the gifts of faith and reason God has given us.
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