Year of Grace Series: Faith and Reason Encyclical chapter 5 Part 1.

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. This week we continue to explore together chapter 5 which examines the the role of the magisterium and philosophy. I will examine this chapter in two parts, with today's post being part 1 of chapter 5.

The Church has neither a philosophy of her own nor does she favour any particular one.  Nevertheless philosophy must remain faithful to its own principles and methods, which must encompasses the demands and the data of revealed truth, using reason, otherwise it would serve little useful purpose.

History has shown that modern philosophy has taken wrong turns and fallen into error.  The Magisterium is required to respond clearly and strongly to controversial philosophical opinions, which threaten the pure and simple faith of the People of God, by the promulgation of false and partial theories.

Different Schools of philosophical learning and thought have developed, and it is incumbent upon the Magisterium to judge which different schools are compatible with the demands of the word of God and theological enquiry.

The reason for the Church to be involved in declaring certain philosophies to be erroneous is because the Bishops have the duty to be ‘witnesses to the truth’.  The Magisterium’s interventions are intended to prompt, promote and encourage philosophical enquiry and to correct error.  No historical form of philosophy can claim a totality of truth, because human reason has been wounded and weakened by sin.  The Church knows that ‘ the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ are hidden in Christ (Col 2:3) and therefore it intervenes to stimulate philosophical enquiry and to correct error.

Through the centuries the Church has intervened in correcting certain philosophical teachings, but since the middle of the last century the Magisterium has spoken more frequently on the subject.  Thr First Vatican Council pronounced solemnly on the relationship between reason and faith in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Catholic Faith ‘ Dei Filius’.  It is still a standard reference point for correct and coherent Christian thinking in this regard.  

The first Vatican Council showed how inseparable and at the same time how distinct were faith and reason, Revelation and natural knowledge of God.  One pertinent extract from the document read:  ‘ Even if faith is superior to reason there can never be a true divergence between faith and reason, since the same God who reveals the mysteries and bestows the gifts of faith has also placed in the human spirit the light of reason.  This God could not deny himself, nor could the truth ever contradict the truth’.

In our own century the Magisterium has challenged Modernism, Marxist philosophy and atheistic Communism.  In addition Pope Pius X11 in his Encyclical letter ‘Humani Generis’ warned against mistaken interpretations linked to evolution, existentialism and historicism, which needed to be examined critically by Catholic theologians and philosophers to correct erroneous opinion.

Also more recently the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith has been obliged to intervene to re-emphasise the dangers stemming from Marxism.  Looking at what is occurring at present, the late Pope believed that some old problems were so widespread that they have become to some extent the norm.  There is a deep-seated distrust of reason leading to ‘the end of metaphysics’.

The same thing is happening in theology.  This happened when theologians, through lack of philosophical competence, are swayed uncritically by thoughts and culture, which are poorly grounded in reason.

Now these days there is a tendency to make the reading of the Bible the sole criterion of truth, whilst ignoring that God is present in both Scripture and Tradition, which together comprise a single sacred deposit of the word of God entrusted to the Church.  There are 3 elements viz Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church, which provide the supreme rule of faith, and none of the three can survive without the others.

There is a danger in seeking to derive the truth of Sacred Scripture by using one method alone such as reading the Bible.  Pope Pius X11 warned against such neglect of the philosophical tradition and against abandonment of the traditional terminology.

Some think that truth is born of consensus, whereas it is derived from a consonance between intellect and objective reality.  Pope John Paul 11 wanted philosophers not to abandon the passion for ultimate truth and to forge new paths in the search. Faith is what matters and becomes the convinced and convincing advocate of reason.