Year of Grace Series: Introduction to Faith and Reason

 Welcome to Faith and Reason Series:

During this year of Grace, it is timely to consider whether Faith and Reason are interwined or as secular society would like us to believe that Faith and Reason are exclusive.  My purpose for writing this series is to explore this by examining carefully the encyclical  called " Fides et Ratio"- Faith and Reason written by the late Pope John Paul 11. I hope that during these next 8-10 weeks, you may explore with me, find your own answers and be able to communicate the truth to others. I also hope that in studying this encyclical you will be blessed with many graces.

Fides et Ratio  known as Faith and Reason was the 13th out of 14 encyclicals produced by Pope John Paul 11 since he became Pope in 1978.

 In the introduction, the late Pope referred to the admonition ‘Know Yourself’ carved on the portal at Delphi, as an expression of being apart form the rest of creation and being a human being.

     The following questions have permeated history as being fundamental:

•  Who am I?
•  Where have I come from?
•  Where am I going?
•  Why is there evil?
•  What is there after this life?

No matter who asks these questions, the answers will decide the direction, which people will seek to give to their lives.

The Church likewise is entrusted by the Pascal Mystery to pass on to mankind the gift of ultimate truth about human life, until the fullness of truth appears with the final Revelation of God.

Philosophy is one means given to human beings to question life’s meaning and its answer.  The reason is that philosophy shows that the desire for truth is part of human nature itself.  Philosophy crosses both Eastern and Western Cultures. By wondering about creation, human beings through the work of philosophy have produced a systematic body of knowledge.  However the quest of knowledge is not estopped from philosophical enquiry.

There is a core of philosophical insight within the history of thought as a whole, and there exists a body of knowledge which may be judged a kind of spiritual heritage of humanity.  The Church sees in philosophy the way to know fundamental truths about human life, and also an indispensable help for a deeper understanding of faith and for communication the truth of the Gospel to those who do not know it.

The late Pope was of the opinion that the search for ultimate truth seems often to be neglected.  Although complex systems of thought here have been developed through the universe and have concentrated on human subjectivity, yet reason has not responded to the fact that men and women need to take steps toward a truth which transcends them.  Reason has taken a back seat.  Instead modern philosophical research has concentrated instead upon human knowing. This has led philosophical research to lose its way in the shifting sands of widespread scepticism.

Today there is a widespread lack of confidence in truth, because the assumption now is that all positions are equally valid.  It is opinion that matters.  Unfortunately, philosophical thinking tends to pursue issues, but ignores the fundamental truths about personal existence, about being and about God.  According to the late Pope, the hope that philosophy might be able to provide definitive answers to these questions has dwindled.

The Church on the other hand, reaffirms the need to reflect upon truth.  The encyclical was therefore written to offer some reflections on the path to true wisdom and truth.  In reaffirming the truth of faith, this is a ‘wake-up’ call to contemporaries to challenge philosophy to recover and develop its own full dignity.

Youth needs a point of reference such as the theme of truth itself and on its foundation in relation to faith.  Many people do not know the real meaning of life. Philosophy needs to recover its original vocation of providing truth so that men and women may cherish the great resources with which it has been endowed and may commit itself with renewed courage to implement the plan of salvation of which its history is part.

Next weeK: Chapter 1: The revelation of God's wisdom.