Year of Grace: Conclusion to Faith and Reason Encyclical

It is now over a hundred years since Pope Leo X111 issued his Encyclical ‘Aeterni Patris’ on 4 August 1879, which was devoted entirely to philosophy showing how philosophical thinking contribute in fundamental ways to faith and theological learning.

Pope John Paul 11 decided in his Encyclical ‘Fides et Ratio dated 14 September 1998 to revisit the above Encyclical and to elaborate in a more systematic way the relationship between faith and philosophy, the latter of which helped to develop culture and influence social behaviour of people.

In addition the Pope considered philosophy exercises a powerful influence on theology and its disciplines.  When philosophy neglects or rejects the truths of Revelation, it limits its value to humanity.  The Church is convinced that faith and reason ‘mutually support each other’ as they offer to each other a purifying critique and a stimulation to pursue the search of deeper understanding.

Humanity has progressed through the meshing of thoughts contributed by both theology and philosophy.  Theology has challenged reason to remain open to God’s Revelation, and philosophy has likewise seen further meanings which reason is required to penetrate.

It is right that philosophy should recover its relationship with theology for the benefit of mankind.  Theology is not the sole thinking of a single person but the wealth of a communal reflection.  It is sustained in the search of truth by reference to tradition, and its harmony of many different fields of learning and culture within the unity of faith.

The Church promotes both the defence of human dignity and the proclamation of the Gospel message.  It is an urgent task to lead people to discern their capacity to know the truth and yearn for definitive meaning of life.  God has inscribed in human nature, the need to know the meaning of God’s word.  Through mediation of truly based philosophy, people are more prone to follow the Gospel and give themselves to Christ.

Philosophy is the mirror refecting the culture of a people.  If philosophy works in unison with theology’s demands, then it becomes part of ‘evangelisation of culture as outlined by Pope Paul V1.

Pope John Paul 11 has appealed to philosophers to explore more comprehensively the beauties that follow for the word of God.  The new millennium seems to have given rise to many new challenges affecting regions and cultures of long standing Christian traditions.  So he hopes philosophy can be brought to bear in fostering the new evangelisation.

Christian philosophers can guide and help other philosophers, not of Christian faith, to gain an understanding of the truth, which divine Revelation declares.  If there is a clear and honest collaboration between Christians, and the followers of other religions or those with no religious belief, then they can combine to tackle other issues such as ecology, peace and the co-existence of different races and cultures.

The Second Vatican Council in its document ‘Gaudium et Spes’ was all in favour of such an approach.

The Pope encourages theologians to pay special attention to the philosophical implications of the word of God, and to all the speculative and practical aspects of the science of theology.  He thanked them for the service to the Church.

The Pope asked theologians to recall the words of Saint Bonaventure who ‘invites the reader to recognise the inadequacy of reading without repentance, knowledge without devotion, research without the impulse of wonder, prudence without the ability to surrender to joy, action divorced from religion, learning sundered from love, intelligence without humility, study unsustained by divine grace, thought without the wisdom inspired by God.’

Those responsible for training priests in the seminary have a big task of preparing them in philosophical knowledge so that they can proclaim the Gospel to men and women, and to those carrying out theological research and teaching.  They have grave responsibility to provide for the appropriate training of those charged with teaching philosophy which requires a suitable scholarly preparation and systematic presentation of the Christian tradition, and current needs of the Church and world.

The Pope wants all philosophers and teachers of philosophy to have the courage to recover the range of authentic wisdom and truth proper to philosophical enquiry.  They should always be alert to truth and the good which truth brings.  By exercising reason, believers working in the philosophical field will become more assured and penetrating from the support received from the faith.

He then addressed a word to scientists whose research in complex atomic and molecular structures has given the world ever-greater knowledge.  He urges them to continue their efforts without ever abandoning the philosophical and ethical values, which are a mark of the human person.  The search for truth is never ending, but it always points beyond to something higher than the immediate object of study, viz the Mystery of God.

Different philosophical systems have led some philosophers to believe that they are absolute masters of their own destiny in complete autonomy, trusting only in themselves and their own powers.  But they are mistaken because fulfilment can only be achieved by dwelling under God’s protection.  Only by understanding this truth will people understand the freedom granted by God and love Him in gratitude.

The Pope left the final paragraph 108 to refer to the Virgin Mary as the ‘Seat of Wisdom’.  He said that there is a deep harmony between vocation of the Blessed Virgin and the vocation of true philosophy.

Mary accepted God’s invitation to become the Mother of God for mankind’s benefit so too is philosophy required of offer its rational and critical resources that theology may be fruitful and creative.  When philosophy follows the truth of the Gospel, its autonomy is in no way impaired.  In fact it is then that philosophy sees all its enquiries rise to their highest expression.

He then asked Mary, Seat of Wisdom to aid and assist all who devote their lives to the search of wisdom, so that they will not be hindered in their quest. Mary gave birth to the truth, and treasuring it in her hear, has shared it forever with all the world.

Given in Rome by Pope John Paul 11 on 14/9/1998.

This concludes this series on the encyclical on Faith and Reason.  I hope you have benefited from reading this summarized version of this Encyclical.  Next week we continue to explore ways to live out this Year of Grace and how the Year of Faith which the whole universal church celebrates may be interconnected.

Year of Grace: Chapter 7 Part 2.

Pope John Paul 11 considered there were dangers and risks in some currents of philosophical thoughts, which are especially prevalent today.  He then listed a number ( not all) of errors and risks for philosophical work viz:

1. Eclecticism.
2. Historicism or Modernism.
3. Scientism
4. Pragmatism.
5. Nihilism.

Here follows a brief explanation of each of the above.

1.Eclecticism.

Eclecticism is practised by those who, in research, teaching and argumentation tend to use individual ideas drawn from different philosophies, without concern for their internal coherence, their place within a system or their historical context.  Such manipulating does not help the search for truth and does not train reason to formulate arguments seriously and scientifically.  A rigorous and far-reaching study of philosophical doctrines helps to overcome eclecticism.

2.  Historicism or Modernism.

The fundamental claim of historicism is that the truth of a philosophy is determined on the basis of its appropriateness to a certain period and a certain historical purpose.  They claim that what was true in one period may not be true in another period.

On the contrary, the truth or the error in the past can be identified and evaluated despite the distance of historic past.  Some theologians using modernism may use only the most recent opinions and philosophical language ignoring the crucial evaluation of them in light of tradition.   Modernism does not satisfy the demands of truth.

3. Scientism.

Under scientism the validity of forms of knowledge is only accepted if it is a positive science.  It believes religious, theological, ethical and aesthetic knowledge are only fantasies because such knowledge is based on emotions.  Science is the all important aspect in the view of those holding scientism as the sole criterion for human progress.  Ultimately what this lead to is for such a people to think that if something is technically possible it is therefore morally admissible, and ethical judgments have no place in their minds.

4. Pragmatism.

Pragmatism does not abide with theoretical considerations or judgements based on ethical principles.  Unchanging values are ignored in favour of the majority opinion even if it is wrong.  This means that the great moral decisions of humanity are made by institutional agencies.  By taking a one-dimensional vision of the human being and excluding ethical dilemmas the pragmatist does not consider the meaning of suffering and sacrifice and life and death.

5. Nihilism.

The nihilst is a person who denies all foundations and of objective truth.  Nihilsim denies humanity and the very identity of the human being.  In reality it tries to erase from the human being the marks of their likeness to God.  This leads to a destructive will to power or to solitude without hope.  Once truth is denied, it is pure illusion to try to set people free.  Truth and freedom either go together hand in hand or together they perish in misery.

Even though our heritage of knowledge has expanded in areas such as logic, the philosophy of language, epistemology ( the theory or science of the method and grounds of knowledge) the philosophy of nature, anthropology, an analysis of freedom, yet the rationalists argues against all claims that were once thought indisputable.

The age of ‘postmodernity’ has arrived in which the human being is expected to live in a world without meaning, where everything is provisional and ephemeral.  The certitude of faith is called into question.

But nihilism has sustained a big blow because of the evil in the world, and it is not the panacea of the triumphant progress of reason, the source of all happiness and freedom.  Rather it has led to the temptation to despair.  Man has found that he is unable single- handedly to completely take charge of his destiny.

Current tasks  for theology.

Theology is committed today to two tasks, i.e.,

• The task entrusted to it by the Second Vatican Council, to renew its methods so as to serve evangelisation more effectively.
• The task of looking to the ultimate truth which Revelation entrusts to it.  This is theology’s main concern; and it also challenges philosophy so that by a dual approach, truth, which is Christ may once again be known and expressed.

Here the Pope decided to give instruction to theology in which specific form it should take to achieve unity.  He said that the chief purpose of theology is to provide an understanding of Revelation and the content of faith.   Thus the theologian must ponder deeply on the mystery of the Triune God, the Incarnation of the Son of God, his coming as man, His Passion and Death, His Resurrection and Ascension to the Father, and the descent of the Holy Spirit to guide the Church and help it to grow.  To try to understand God’s kenosis (Christ’s action of emptying himself by becoming man and suffering death) is a major task as one finds it inconceivable that suffering and death can express a love, which gives itself and seeks nothing in return.  The theologian needs to make a careful analysis of the Scriptures and of the Church’s living tradition.  Any problems found will need to be resolved with the help of philosophy.

The relationship between meaning and truth is a problem as the sources, which the theologian interprets, need to be understood and explained.  God communicates through scriptures, which need to be understood and conveyed in human language.  In interpreting the sources of Revelation, the theologian has to determine the deep and authentic truth which the texts are communicating, and then use human language to advise people of God’s truth and words.

Really the Gospels go beyond just telling stories or parables, but rather they are designed to give people meaning in their lives so that they are ultimately saved for the next life.  The truth in the Gospels has been preserved by the Church over centuries.  Nevertheless the relationship between fact and meaning needs to be examined also from the philosophical point of view.

God’s truth can never vary from place to place, culture to culture and one period of history to another.  But of course, cultural changes do occur which can change the meaning of texts and truth.  The Pope believes that the use of a hermeneutic open to the appeal of metaphysics can transform erroneous claims of historicism to that of truth espoused by God.

A problem arises and has to be considered is the fact that human words assume something differing in other times and cultures.  Despite this, history has shown that certain basic concepts retain their universal epistemological value and the truth of the propositions in which they are expressed.  It is true that the meaning of various concepts may be imperfect.  This can be overcome to a large extent by philosophy deepening its right understanding of the relationship between conceptual language and truths.

Theology’s task is to interpret sources and to understand revealed truth.  Philosophy also needs to enable dogmatic theology to perform its functions appropriately.  The dogmatic pragmatism, which did not subscribe to the truths of faith, has already been refuted and rejected, because that approach is inadequate, reductive and superficial at the level of speculation.  A Christology or an ecclesiology developed solely on the model of civil society would be subject to such reductionism.

Philosophy which repeats antiquated formulas is unable to propose anew the problem of being which is a dynamic philosophy viewing reality in its ontological, causal and communicative structures.  Being based on the very act of being, open to reality and to God who brings all things to fulfilment, such a philosophy becomes strong and enduring.  In the same way Revelation provides theology with the intimate relationship, which exists between faith and metaphysical reasoning.

Moral theology and philosophy must be so designed so that they understand that faith is linked to moral life of believers, whose ethical conscience can be disoriented by modern challenges to faith.  The Pope’s Encyclical Letter: ’Veritatis Splendor’ highlighted the many current problems stemming from a crisis of truth.  Once goodness is lost, then conscience changes for the worse and is unable to express a judgment about the right conduct to be chosen here and now.  Instead it is left so that the individual conscience can determine what is good and evil and act accordingly.  Thus one’s truth can be different from someone else’s truth.

Right through ’Faith and Reason’ the Pope has reiterated the fundamental role of truth in the moral field, and based entirely on God’s Word.

Moral theology, using philosophical ethics, which is neither subjectivist nor utilitarian, must examine the truth of goodness such as that found in Christian holiness and the practice of human supernatural virtues.  If it does this correctly, then it will be able to tackle any aspects such as peace, social justices, the family, the defence of life and the environment in a more appropriate and effective way.

Theological work in the Church is at the coalface of the proclamation of the faith and of Catechesis, announcing the truth of Christ and of the Pascal Mystery.

Catechesis is important because it helps to form the person by presenting the Church’s doctrine in its integrity and demonstrating its link with the faithful.  There results a bond between teaching and living and recognising the truth about the mystery of the living God.  There is a reciprocity between theological disciplines and the various strands of philosophy, on which both are attempting to clarify the relationship between truth and life, between event and doctrinal truth, and transcendent truth and human language.

Year of Grace: Faith and Reason Encyclical Chapter 7 part 1:

The indispensable requirement of the word of God.

The Sacred Scripture gives mankind a glimpse of man’s experience of the world, which is not absolute.  God alone is Absolute.  The vision presented in the Scripture embraces man’s life, his freedom and the immortality of the human spirit.  To deny that every creature is dependent upon God is irrational and runs counter to human life.

All forms of relativism, materialism and pantheism and problems bound up with the moral evil, which stem from the disordered exercise of human freedom.  The Bible contains God’s word, which is absolutely necessary for mankind’s wellbeing.

The mystery of the Incarnation as revealed in the Bible will always remain the central point of reference for an understanding of the enigma of human existence, the created world and God himself.  In the mystery of the Incarnate Word, human nature and divine nature are safeguarded in all their autonomy.  Philosophy is pushed to the limit by this mystery, and reason is likewise stretched to comprehend the logic of the mystery of the incarnate Word, in which the essence of God and of the human being becomes intelligible.

The search for meaning often becomes very difficult because of the crisis of meaning due to a fragmentation of knowledge.  A radical doubt has grown up which lead to indifference or to various forms of nihilism.

  

A philosophy which no longer seeks the meaning of life ultimately by does not search for truth concerning God and to answer the questions ‘Who am I?’ where have I come from and where am I going? Why is there evil? What is there after this life?’

The first requirement for philosophy is to recover its ‘sapiential dimensions’ as a search from the ultimate and overarching meaning of life.  With the immense expansion of humanity’s technical capability, it is essential for philosophy to obtain and explore a deep sense of ultimate values, as otherwise placing the utilitarian end of technology as most desirable, then, as John Paul 11, noted in his Encyclical Letter ‘Redemptor Hominis’ (4 March 1979) it could soon prove inhuman and even become a potential destroyer of the human race.

The Word of God reveals the final destiny of the men and women and provides a unifying explanation of all that they do in the world.  That is why philosophy is needed to search for the natural foundation of this meaning, which corresponds to the religious impulse innate in every person.  It would be a false philosophy that does not do this.

A second important feature of philosophy is to verify the human capacity to know the objective truth about life.  The Second Vatican Council, when referring to faith stated:

‘ Intelligence is not confined to observable data alone.  It can with genuine certitude attain to reality itself as knowledgeable, though in consequence of sin that certitude is partially obscured and weakened.’

The Bible and New Testament in particular contain texts and statements relating to the nature, essential properties and relations of being and reality.  The inspired authors intended to formulate true statement expressing objective reality.  Thus theologians need a philosophy, which does not disavow the possibility of that knowledge which is objectively true, even it not perfect.  This applies equally to the judgments of a moral conscience, which sacred Scripture considers capable of being objectively true.

Another requirement of philosophy is to transmit empirical data in order to attain something absolute, ultimate and foundational in its search for truth.  It is also required to know moral good, which stems from God himself. The late Pope stated that reality and truth transcend the factual and empirical, yet it is possible, although imperfectly, for a person to know the transcendent and metaphysical dimension in a true and certain manner.  Such a person is privileged in encountering such a dimension such as truth, beauty, moral values, other persons, in being alive and recognising God.

The late Pope believed we should move from phenomenon to foundation, as experience itself is not good enough.  A philosophy that shies away from abstract or abstruse matters (metaphysics) is unlikely to reflect upon and understand Revelation.

Just having a sense experience would be insufficient to gain an intelligent insight in the word of God.   Metaphysics is essential when considering theological research.  Without it theology would be crippled if it were to provide a coherent account of the universal and transcendent value of revealed truth.  That is why the Pope was so insistent upon philosophy embarking upon a metaphysical approach rather than the mistaken behaviour pervading large sectors of philosophy at present.

It is clear some scholars working in the fields of hermeneutics and the analysis of language stop short in understanding reality and whether reason can discover its essence.  By adopting such a short-sighted approach, these professional disqualify themselves by abasing their reason.  They are not prepared to consider the word of God, when analysing language nor to give any credence to Revelation of God.

The Pope backed by other Popes and the Second Vatican Council strongly reaffirmed the conviction that men can come to a unified and organised vision of knowledge.  By having a splintered approach to truth and meanings keeps people from an interior unity.  Pastors in the Church are obliged to instruct the people in the correct paths to follow.

If philosophers desire to follow through the word of God when thinking, then they must have regard the Church’s traditions including the fundamental achievements of modern and contemporary thoughts.  Should they carry out this approach, they will not fail to respect philosophy’s demand for autonomy.

An appeal to tradition is not a mere remembrance of the past; it involves rather the recognition of a cultural heritage, which belongs to all of humanity.  Similarly theology is bound up with living tradition, and must maintain links to the profound theological traditions of the earlier times.