The relationship between theology and the interior life
Fr R. Garrigou-Lagrange, 1943
"Theology and the spiritual life should not be opposed, but rather should strengthen each other. For this reason, it is misguided to dismiss the theology manuals of the early twentieth century as dry and dusty. YouTube, podcasts and lightweight, popular polemics are not substitute objects for those who are able to study theology"
"When our study is rightly ordered, it frees the interior life not only from subjectivism but also from particularism resulting from the excessive influence of certain ideas prevalent at some period of time or in some region, ideas which after thirty years will appear antiquated. Some years ago ideas of this or that particular philosophy prevailed, which now no longer find favourable acceptance. It is so in every generation. There is a succession of opinions and events that arouse one’s admiration; they pass with the fashion of the world, while the words of God remain, by which the just man must live."
🔗article
#fidesetratio #theology
Fr R. Garrigou-Lagrange, 1943
"Theology and the spiritual life should not be opposed, but rather should strengthen each other. For this reason, it is misguided to dismiss the theology manuals of the early twentieth century as dry and dusty. YouTube, podcasts and lightweight, popular polemics are not substitute objects for those who are able to study theology"
"When our study is rightly ordered, it frees the interior life not only from subjectivism but also from particularism resulting from the excessive influence of certain ideas prevalent at some period of time or in some region, ideas which after thirty years will appear antiquated. Some years ago ideas of this or that particular philosophy prevailed, which now no longer find favourable acceptance. It is so in every generation. There is a succession of opinions and events that arouse one’s admiration; they pass with the fashion of the world, while the words of God remain, by which the just man must live."
🔗article
#fidesetratio #theology
The WM Review
Theology and the Interior Life – How do they help each other? Fr R. Garrigou-Lagrange, 1943
Editors’ introduction: Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange OP, the respected thomist theologian of the twentieth century, needs little introduction. He addresses an extraordinary range of topics in…
Ecce Verbum
The relationship between theology and the interior life Fr R. Garrigou-Lagrange, 1943 "Theology and the spiritual life should not be opposed, but rather should strengthen each other. For this reason, it is misguided to dismiss the theology manuals of the…
Scientific knowledge and virtue
"Roger Bacon, who is considered the earliest founder of the scientific method based upon Aristotle’s logic, said the following in his Sixth Part of the Opus Majus on Experimental Science
“For this reason true philosophers have labored the more in morals for their integrity of virtue, concluding among themselves that they can not see the causes of things unless they have souls free from sins.”(Selections From Medieval Philosophers Vol II. Ed. Richard McKeon. Charles Scribner’s Sons: NY. 1930. p.76)
Bacon thought it essential for the philosopher-scientist to be free from faults, free from vices, free from selfishness or evil, in a word: holy:
“Virtue, therefore, clarifies the mind that man may understand more easily not only moral things, but scientific things.”(p.77)
A clear mind, a mind that is able to apprehend the truth in moral reasoning spiritually, will have an advantage discerning the truth in scientific reasoning mentally about what he is sensing in his judgement in the world.
Bacon said, “For this reason the Scripture says, Wisdom will not enter into an ill-disposed soul. For it is impossible that the soul repose in the light of truth while it is stained with sins, but it will recite like a parrot or a magpie the words of another which it learned by long practice…”(p. 77)
In other words, the character, the disposition, the virtue of the scientist matters to his science. He is not a disembodied objective Cartesian mind without a body, soul and personality, but a whole person."
"Bacon suggests that from the earliest times in history, the holy patriarchs and the prophets, who also practiced science, did not depend solely on their external senses for knowledge but actively sought it out spiritually in their contemplative prayer.
The famous Second century astronomer and geographer, Ptolemy, thought that divine inspiration was a superior source of knowledge of things, not to the exclusion to the experience of scientific knowledge, but in addition to it.
Bacon said wisely, “And, therefore, he who acts contrary to the truth, must necessarily be ignorant of it, although he may know how to put together very elegant phrases and to quote the opinion of others…”(p. 76)
In other words, the inspiration from faith and scientific reasoning together stretch the imagination of the mind in order to discover the creativity and complexity of nature in a way that is not possible when they are separated from each other."
article
#fidesetratio
"Roger Bacon, who is considered the earliest founder of the scientific method based upon Aristotle’s logic, said the following in his Sixth Part of the Opus Majus on Experimental Science
“For this reason true philosophers have labored the more in morals for their integrity of virtue, concluding among themselves that they can not see the causes of things unless they have souls free from sins.”(Selections From Medieval Philosophers Vol II. Ed. Richard McKeon. Charles Scribner’s Sons: NY. 1930. p.76)
Bacon thought it essential for the philosopher-scientist to be free from faults, free from vices, free from selfishness or evil, in a word: holy:
“Virtue, therefore, clarifies the mind that man may understand more easily not only moral things, but scientific things.”(p.77)
A clear mind, a mind that is able to apprehend the truth in moral reasoning spiritually, will have an advantage discerning the truth in scientific reasoning mentally about what he is sensing in his judgement in the world.
Bacon said, “For this reason the Scripture says, Wisdom will not enter into an ill-disposed soul. For it is impossible that the soul repose in the light of truth while it is stained with sins, but it will recite like a parrot or a magpie the words of another which it learned by long practice…”(p. 77)
In other words, the character, the disposition, the virtue of the scientist matters to his science. He is not a disembodied objective Cartesian mind without a body, soul and personality, but a whole person."
"Bacon suggests that from the earliest times in history, the holy patriarchs and the prophets, who also practiced science, did not depend solely on their external senses for knowledge but actively sought it out spiritually in their contemplative prayer.
The famous Second century astronomer and geographer, Ptolemy, thought that divine inspiration was a superior source of knowledge of things, not to the exclusion to the experience of scientific knowledge, but in addition to it.
Bacon said wisely, “And, therefore, he who acts contrary to the truth, must necessarily be ignorant of it, although he may know how to put together very elegant phrases and to quote the opinion of others…”(p. 76)
In other words, the inspiration from faith and scientific reasoning together stretch the imagination of the mind in order to discover the creativity and complexity of nature in a way that is not possible when they are separated from each other."
article
#fidesetratio
Intellectual Charity
Can Science Be Consistent with Faith and Virtue? Roger Bacon, the originator of the Scientific Method thought so…
It would seem that virtue and faith are really not that important to science. Such ideas seem to be guided by a much more simple time, the Middle Ages perhaps or earlier, but it seems that …
Ecce Verbum
A Good Rule for Finding the Truth "A good rule for finding the truth is to draw near it with an unprejudiced mind and a will equally disposed to receive whatever the truth has to give -- if we do not approach in this way, we hear not what it says to us, but…
True good stems from Truth
Just as Socrates maintained that no god was ill-disposed to mankind, so I maintained that those who love and pursue truth -- a divine gift which constitutes the glory of the human spirit not because the human spirit forms truth but because the truth informs it -- are the best disposed, indeed the only people well-disposed towards humankind and to the systems which others have thought out. They alone offer human nature the true good which stems from truth and is reduced to truth. Within their systems they willingly recognise, love and prize everything that is lovable and can be appreciated, that is, the immortal element of their systems, the truth on which the systems agree and unite. This is not the case with those who imagine that the human spirit itself deserves honour independently of any share in the truth. For them, the truth is honoured as a creation of the human spirit just as error is. And error, certainly, is an authentic creation of the human spirit.
Bl. Antonio Rosmini, About the Author's Studies (Introduction to Philosophy, Volume 1), Murphy, tr., Rosmini House (Durham: 2004) p. 91.
#fidesetratio
Just as Socrates maintained that no god was ill-disposed to mankind, so I maintained that those who love and pursue truth -- a divine gift which constitutes the glory of the human spirit not because the human spirit forms truth but because the truth informs it -- are the best disposed, indeed the only people well-disposed towards humankind and to the systems which others have thought out. They alone offer human nature the true good which stems from truth and is reduced to truth. Within their systems they willingly recognise, love and prize everything that is lovable and can be appreciated, that is, the immortal element of their systems, the truth on which the systems agree and unite. This is not the case with those who imagine that the human spirit itself deserves honour independently of any share in the truth. For them, the truth is honoured as a creation of the human spirit just as error is. And error, certainly, is an authentic creation of the human spirit.
Bl. Antonio Rosmini, About the Author's Studies (Introduction to Philosophy, Volume 1), Murphy, tr., Rosmini House (Durham: 2004) p. 91.
#fidesetratio
Ecce Verbum
A Good Rule for Finding the Truth "A good rule for finding the truth is to draw near it with an unprejudiced mind and a will equally disposed to receive whatever the truth has to give -- if we do not approach in this way, we hear not what it says to us, but…
Man's rational nature
"It ought not to be disputed that rational nature was made holy by God, in order to be happy in enjoying Him. For to this end is it rational, in order to discern justice and injustice, good and evil, and between the greater and the lesser good. Otherwise it was made rational in vain. But God made it not rational in vain. Wherefore, doubtless, it was made rational for this end....Wherefore rational nature was made holy, in order to be happy in enjoying the supreme good, which is God. Therefore man, whose nature is rational, was made holy for this end, that he might be happy in enjoying God."
St. Anselm, Doctor of the Church, Cur Deus Homo 2.1
#fidesetratio
"It ought not to be disputed that rational nature was made holy by God, in order to be happy in enjoying Him. For to this end is it rational, in order to discern justice and injustice, good and evil, and between the greater and the lesser good. Otherwise it was made rational in vain. But God made it not rational in vain. Wherefore, doubtless, it was made rational for this end....Wherefore rational nature was made holy, in order to be happy in enjoying the supreme good, which is God. Therefore man, whose nature is rational, was made holy for this end, that he might be happy in enjoying God."
St. Anselm, Doctor of the Church, Cur Deus Homo 2.1
#fidesetratio
"Where is the New Theology Leading Us?"
Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Legrange, O.P
On the far-reaching consequences of abandoning rational philosophy
#philosophy #fidesetratio
Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Legrange, O.P
On the far-reaching consequences of abandoning rational philosophy
#philosophy #fidesetratio
Ecce Verbum
Man's rational nature "It ought not to be disputed that rational nature was made holy by God, in order to be happy in enjoying Him. For to this end is it rational, in order to discern justice and injustice, good and evil, and between the greater and the lesser…
Logic - the art of reason
"In the beginning of his Metaphysics, Aristotle states that the human race lives by art and reasoning. He seems to touch here on something properly human, which distinguishes man from the other animals. For while the brute animals are moved to their actions by natural instinct, we direct our actions by rational judgments.
To enable us to carry out these actions easily and in an orderly way, we have invented many arts. For an art is nothing other than a certain ordering of reason by which human acts achieve a suitable end through determinate means.
Now reason is able to direct not only the acts of inferior faculties, but also its own acts. For the capacity to reflect upon itself is proper to the intellectual power; the intellect understands itself and, similarly, reason can reason about itself.
Now, if by reasoning about the acts of the hand, we discovered building, and this art enables us to build easily and in an orderly way, then, for the same reason, we need an art to direct the acts of reason, so that in these acts also we may proceed in an orderly way, easily, and without error. This art is logic, the science of reason."
Aquinas, Commentary on Aristotle's Posterior Analytics, Berquist, tr., Dumb Ox Books (Notre Dame, IN: 2007) p. 1
"And the attempts of some who discuss the terms on which truth should be accepted, are due to a want of training in logic [lit. ‘a lack of learning of the analytics,’ Gk. ἀπαιδευσίαν τῶν ἀναλυτικῶν]; for they should know these things already when they come to a special study, and not be inquiring into them while they are pursuing it."
Aristotle, Metaphysics, 4.4 (1005b2-5)
#fidesetratio
"In the beginning of his Metaphysics, Aristotle states that the human race lives by art and reasoning. He seems to touch here on something properly human, which distinguishes man from the other animals. For while the brute animals are moved to their actions by natural instinct, we direct our actions by rational judgments.
To enable us to carry out these actions easily and in an orderly way, we have invented many arts. For an art is nothing other than a certain ordering of reason by which human acts achieve a suitable end through determinate means.
Now reason is able to direct not only the acts of inferior faculties, but also its own acts. For the capacity to reflect upon itself is proper to the intellectual power; the intellect understands itself and, similarly, reason can reason about itself.
Now, if by reasoning about the acts of the hand, we discovered building, and this art enables us to build easily and in an orderly way, then, for the same reason, we need an art to direct the acts of reason, so that in these acts also we may proceed in an orderly way, easily, and without error. This art is logic, the science of reason."
Aquinas, Commentary on Aristotle's Posterior Analytics, Berquist, tr., Dumb Ox Books (Notre Dame, IN: 2007) p. 1
"And the attempts of some who discuss the terms on which truth should be accepted, are due to a want of training in logic [lit. ‘a lack of learning of the analytics,’ Gk. ἀπαιδευσίαν τῶν ἀναλυτικῶν]; for they should know these things already when they come to a special study, and not be inquiring into them while they are pursuing it."
Aristotle, Metaphysics, 4.4 (1005b2-5)
#fidesetratio
Faith Seeking Understanding
Faith and reason are both modes of knowledge. Reason pertains to what we can know from our own powers of observation, whether empirical or logical. Faith pertains to what we know based on the authority of someone else. Both are true ways of knowing, but each is grounded in a different certainty. The certainty of reason is as good as our own powers of observation and intellection; the certainty of faith is as good as the person we put faith in. Whereas reason implies logical deduction, faith implies confidence. Faith itself is an act of trust.
In Dei Filius, we see the following comment on the nature of faith:
We believe that the things which He has revealed are true; not because of the intrinsic truth of the things, viewed by the natural light of reason, but because of the authority of God Himself who reveals them, and Who can neither be deceived nor deceive. (DF, III)
...But the Christian faith is not illogical, nor was it meant to be blind. Faith does not depend upon reason; but it is in accord with reason.
We do not believe because we understand, but as St. Anselm said, we believe so that we may understand. Fides quaerens intellectum ("faith seeking understanding"), to use the formula attributed to St. Augustine.
Faith is logical, but not logic-based. It corresponds to reason but is not derived from it.
That this might be more clear, God gives certain "exterior proofs" to aid our reason, called motives of credibility. These motives of credibility do not establish the truth of the faith in a logical sense, but they do testify to it. Dei Filius says:
Nevertheless, in order that the obedience of our faith might be in harmony with reason, God willed that, to the interior help of the Holy Spirit, there should be joined exterior proofs of His revelation; to wit, divine facts, and especially miracles and prophecies, which, as they manifestly display the omnipotence and infinite knowledge of God, are most certain proofs of His Divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all men. (DF, III)
source
#fidesetratio
Faith and reason are both modes of knowledge. Reason pertains to what we can know from our own powers of observation, whether empirical or logical. Faith pertains to what we know based on the authority of someone else. Both are true ways of knowing, but each is grounded in a different certainty. The certainty of reason is as good as our own powers of observation and intellection; the certainty of faith is as good as the person we put faith in. Whereas reason implies logical deduction, faith implies confidence. Faith itself is an act of trust.
In Dei Filius, we see the following comment on the nature of faith:
We believe that the things which He has revealed are true; not because of the intrinsic truth of the things, viewed by the natural light of reason, but because of the authority of God Himself who reveals them, and Who can neither be deceived nor deceive. (DF, III)
...But the Christian faith is not illogical, nor was it meant to be blind. Faith does not depend upon reason; but it is in accord with reason.
We do not believe because we understand, but as St. Anselm said, we believe so that we may understand. Fides quaerens intellectum ("faith seeking understanding"), to use the formula attributed to St. Augustine.
Faith is logical, but not logic-based. It corresponds to reason but is not derived from it.
That this might be more clear, God gives certain "exterior proofs" to aid our reason, called motives of credibility. These motives of credibility do not establish the truth of the faith in a logical sense, but they do testify to it. Dei Filius says:
Nevertheless, in order that the obedience of our faith might be in harmony with reason, God willed that, to the interior help of the Holy Spirit, there should be joined exterior proofs of His revelation; to wit, divine facts, and especially miracles and prophecies, which, as they manifestly display the omnipotence and infinite knowledge of God, are most certain proofs of His Divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all men. (DF, III)
source
#fidesetratio
Blogspot
Fides Quaerens Intellectum, "Faith Seeking Understanding"
Ecce Verbum
Faith Seeking Understanding Faith and reason are both modes of knowledge. Reason pertains to what we can know from our own powers of observation, whether empirical or logical. Faith pertains to what we know based on the authority of someone else. Both are…
Knowing and Loving
"In fact it is knowing that causes love and gives birth to it. It is not possible to attain love of anything that is beautiful without first learning how beautiful it is. Since this knowledge is sometimes very ample and complete and at other times imperfect, it follows that the philtre of love has a corresponding effect. Some things that are beautiful and good are perfectly known and perfectly loved as befits so great beauty. Others are not clearly evident to those who love them, and love of them is thus more feeble."
Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ, DeCatanzaro, tr. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press (Crestwood, NY: 1974) p. 89. 🔗
#fidesetratio
"In fact it is knowing that causes love and gives birth to it. It is not possible to attain love of anything that is beautiful without first learning how beautiful it is. Since this knowledge is sometimes very ample and complete and at other times imperfect, it follows that the philtre of love has a corresponding effect. Some things that are beautiful and good are perfectly known and perfectly loved as befits so great beauty. Others are not clearly evident to those who love them, and love of them is thus more feeble."
Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ, DeCatanzaro, tr. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press (Crestwood, NY: 1974) p. 89. 🔗
#fidesetratio
Ecce Verbum
RelationPhilTheo (1).pdf
The relationship of philosophy to theology
"Theology and philosophy in this regard form a strange pair of twins, in which neither of the two can be totally separated from the other, and yet each must preserve its own task and its own identity."
Lecture by Benedict VXI at the University of Rome 🔗
* This speech was cancelled due to faculty protests, evidently over use of quote in a 90’s speech of Ratzinger’s quoting Feyerabend contra Galileo here
more: on the necessity of a sound philosophical formation 🔗
#philosophy #fidesetratio
"Theology and philosophy in this regard form a strange pair of twins, in which neither of the two can be totally separated from the other, and yet each must preserve its own task and its own identity."
Lecture by Benedict VXI at the University of Rome 🔗
* This speech was cancelled due to faculty protests, evidently over use of quote in a 90’s speech of Ratzinger’s quoting Feyerabend contra Galileo here
more: on the necessity of a sound philosophical formation 🔗
#philosophy #fidesetratio
Ecce Verbum
Photo
The Light of Faith
Fr. Józef Pelczar
I am the light of the world (Jn 8:12), I am the truth (Jn 14:6), so says Christ the Lord to all mankind. Before his coming, darkness reigned on earth because man, in the feeble light of reason, could know neither God nor himself well, and the remaining rays of the original revelation were almost lost in the darkness of error. But now, "in the fullness of the ages", the Light comes to earth. It is the Word who from all eternity has been with God as the only-begotten Son of God, who in time became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). This Word Incarnate, that is, Jesus Christ, is - in the words of St Bonaventure - like a lamp suspended over the world and constantly burning, whose oil is his divinity and whose vessel is his humanity; for he has brought to men the light of revelation, that is, supernatural truth which he has placed under the guardianship of the teaching Church.
This truth is truly divine and infallible, because it came from the mouth of the Supreme Wisdom, because it is proclaimed by the Church, which is "the pillar and confirmation of the truth". This truth is perfect and immutable, so that nothing can be taken from it, nothing can be added to it. It is a universal and all-embracing truth that, like the sun, enlightens valleys and peaks, the simple and the wise. This truth, as far as its content is concerned, is half light and half dark, like that cloud which led Israel through the wilderness; it gives as much light as the human spirit cannot even grasp, but it also has mysteries inaccessible to geniuses, because it is impossible for a small stream to contain an infinite ocean. This truth, accepted by faith, widens the scope of reason in a strange way; and just as an astronomer, standing on a high mountain, sees stars through a telescope, which the naked eye cannot see, so the believing Christian, in the light of faith, learns what the wisdom of all philosophers has not been able to discover. No wonder, then, that for this light the great prince of philosophy himself, Plato, sighed, and looked forward to Revelation as if it were a safe ship that would carry us across the sea of error. O, if he were now to rise from the grave and read our catechism, how deeply he would honour Him who alone could say, I am the light of the world.
The doctrine of this Light, proclaimed by the Church, has enlightened all the minds that have accepted it, has brought to earth a new body of truths, has civilised dark and savage peoples, has given a mighty increase to the sciences, has opened up rich sources of Christian education from which mankind still draws. It is only in the last hundred years that false sages, with greater audacity than before, have attempted to extinguish the light of Revelation, replacing it with the light of reason and science. Worse still, secret or overt associations have sprung up with the sole aim of fighting the Catholic religion, which they call darkness and superstition. Unfortunately, their work is not fruitless. With the help of bad laws, bad schools, bad books and journals, they have succeeded in extinguishing or dimming the light of the faith in many minds, with which they have been delighted to advise the eradication of God's truth from legislation, from politics, from public upbringing and from family life, in order thus to de-Christianise, as they say, society and to set it backwards into paganism.
But also for this, the world is growing darker and darker, because not only is there less faith, but also less common sense, and instead there is more and more monstrous error or gloomy doubt. [...] My dearest friends. There is still, thank God, a rich store of faith in society [...]. However, since the evil currents of the age are pressing in everywhere, one can also find people among us who disregard the light of Revelation, thinking that for them the light of reason and science is enough. [...]
Józef Sebastian Pelczar, Speeches and Sermons, 1877-1899, Krakow 1998, pp. 352-354.
p.2 🔗
#fidesetratio
Fr. Józef Pelczar
I am the light of the world (Jn 8:12), I am the truth (Jn 14:6), so says Christ the Lord to all mankind. Before his coming, darkness reigned on earth because man, in the feeble light of reason, could know neither God nor himself well, and the remaining rays of the original revelation were almost lost in the darkness of error. But now, "in the fullness of the ages", the Light comes to earth. It is the Word who from all eternity has been with God as the only-begotten Son of God, who in time became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). This Word Incarnate, that is, Jesus Christ, is - in the words of St Bonaventure - like a lamp suspended over the world and constantly burning, whose oil is his divinity and whose vessel is his humanity; for he has brought to men the light of revelation, that is, supernatural truth which he has placed under the guardianship of the teaching Church.
This truth is truly divine and infallible, because it came from the mouth of the Supreme Wisdom, because it is proclaimed by the Church, which is "the pillar and confirmation of the truth". This truth is perfect and immutable, so that nothing can be taken from it, nothing can be added to it. It is a universal and all-embracing truth that, like the sun, enlightens valleys and peaks, the simple and the wise. This truth, as far as its content is concerned, is half light and half dark, like that cloud which led Israel through the wilderness; it gives as much light as the human spirit cannot even grasp, but it also has mysteries inaccessible to geniuses, because it is impossible for a small stream to contain an infinite ocean. This truth, accepted by faith, widens the scope of reason in a strange way; and just as an astronomer, standing on a high mountain, sees stars through a telescope, which the naked eye cannot see, so the believing Christian, in the light of faith, learns what the wisdom of all philosophers has not been able to discover. No wonder, then, that for this light the great prince of philosophy himself, Plato, sighed, and looked forward to Revelation as if it were a safe ship that would carry us across the sea of error. O, if he were now to rise from the grave and read our catechism, how deeply he would honour Him who alone could say, I am the light of the world.
The doctrine of this Light, proclaimed by the Church, has enlightened all the minds that have accepted it, has brought to earth a new body of truths, has civilised dark and savage peoples, has given a mighty increase to the sciences, has opened up rich sources of Christian education from which mankind still draws. It is only in the last hundred years that false sages, with greater audacity than before, have attempted to extinguish the light of Revelation, replacing it with the light of reason and science. Worse still, secret or overt associations have sprung up with the sole aim of fighting the Catholic religion, which they call darkness and superstition. Unfortunately, their work is not fruitless. With the help of bad laws, bad schools, bad books and journals, they have succeeded in extinguishing or dimming the light of the faith in many minds, with which they have been delighted to advise the eradication of God's truth from legislation, from politics, from public upbringing and from family life, in order thus to de-Christianise, as they say, society and to set it backwards into paganism.
But also for this, the world is growing darker and darker, because not only is there less faith, but also less common sense, and instead there is more and more monstrous error or gloomy doubt. [...] My dearest friends. There is still, thank God, a rich store of faith in society [...]. However, since the evil currents of the age are pressing in everywhere, one can also find people among us who disregard the light of Revelation, thinking that for them the light of reason and science is enough. [...]
Józef Sebastian Pelczar, Speeches and Sermons, 1877-1899, Krakow 1998, pp. 352-354.
p.2 🔗
#fidesetratio
elementsoflogic.pdf
4.6 MB
Elements of Logic
Card. Mercier
🔗read online
Logic is the systematic study of the order to be observed; in judging, reasoning, and other processes of thought in order to arrive at knowledge of truth. This definition shows us: (1) the materials (material cause) of the logical order; (2) their elaboration (formal cause); (3) the purpose of this elaboration (final cause). Logic is divided into formal and real logic. This little book will lay out a method of the study of logic
more:
🔗Logic, R.F.Clarke
🔗introduction to logic and critical thinking
🔗Logic, the art of reason
🔗 St. Albert the Great on logic, knowledge and science
🔗Logic and Mental Philosophy
by Rev. Charles Coppens, S.J.
🔗 a site devoted to the history of logic
#fidesetratio #logic
Card. Mercier
🔗read online
Logic is the systematic study of the order to be observed; in judging, reasoning, and other processes of thought in order to arrive at knowledge of truth. This definition shows us: (1) the materials (material cause) of the logical order; (2) their elaboration (formal cause); (3) the purpose of this elaboration (final cause). Logic is divided into formal and real logic. This little book will lay out a method of the study of logic
more:
🔗Logic, R.F.Clarke
🔗introduction to logic and critical thinking
🔗Logic, the art of reason
🔗 St. Albert the Great on logic, knowledge and science
🔗Logic and Mental Philosophy
by Rev. Charles Coppens, S.J.
🔗 a site devoted to the history of logic
#fidesetratio #logic
What is an act of Faith
According to Catholic teaching, the act of faith is an act of reason, because it is the recognition of the truth revealed by God, and the recognition of truth is a matter of reason. Reason is therefore important in the act of faith. According to the profession of faith prescribed by St. Pius X: "faith is the true consent of reason".
According to Protestants*, the act of faith is not an act of reason, but of will, because it consists in trusting in the forgiveness of sins (this trust is justifying).*(This is only a generalization, as we have many different Protestant factions that may understand faith slightly differently). Protestantism reduces the essence of faith to trust in the salvation obtained by Christ ("only effective if..."), and this is a matter of will, not reason. (However, Fr. Sieniatycki does not claim that, according to Protestants, the awakening of this trust is not preceded by any acts of reason). However, this can be seen more clearly in the words of Martin Luther.
According to modernists, the act of faith is an act of will and feeling, because by feeling the presence of God within oneself, a person comes into contact with Him and has childlike trust and love for Him.
Reason also precedes the act of faith itself, because in order to awaken rational faith, a person must first know whether God is credible and be sure that a given truth has been revealed by God. God's trustworthiness and the fact of revealing a given truth are premises that must precede the act of faith
The will also influences the act of faith, because it prompts the mind to examine religious matters. Since revealed truth may pose difficulties on the part of reason, reason itself, without the influence of the will, cannot agree to a given truth, because reason necessarily agrees only to visible truths.
The Church clearly teaches that the act of faith is a voluntary act. It comes from reason, but at the command of the will, because the freedom of an act flows from the will. The Holy Scripture promises believers a reward and threatens unbelievers with punishment, and a person can only be rewarded or punished for voluntary deeds.
Grace is necessary for divine faith. The act of faith requires many sacrifices and efforts from the mind and will. This cannot be done without God's grace. For the will to cope with all this, it must have a strong desire to believe, and it is a dogma of faith that this kind of affect of faith is impossible without grace.
Reason needs grace when examining the premises of faith. Also, in the act of faith itself, grace is needed for the act to be supernatural and for the will, which voluntarily commands consent to reason, to be willing to give this order, despite the heavy consequences for it.
Divine faith is necessarily connected with truth, so it is absolutely impossible to have theological faith in a false proposition or in an unrevealed truth. Belief in heresy or unrevealed truth is a purely human act and cannot be supported by grace. So it is not a theological faith.
Confidence is the strong adherence of the mind to a certain proposition as true, without fear of making mistakes. The act of faith excludes voluntary doubt, but does not exclude involuntary doubt. Since reason has no evidence of the truth to which it clings, involuntary doubts may arise in it.
Faith is certainty and has the highest certainty because it is based on the highest motive of certainty, which is the truthful and infallible God. Therefore, it is a mistake to call faith an accumulation of probabilities or to treat it as something uncertain.
Faith is the firm acceptance of a statement as truth because of someone else's testimony. Therefore, it differs from an opinion, which is an acceptance of a statement as true, but combined with the possibility of error. It differs from knowledge, which is the acceptance of a proposition as truth for its visibility, not for its testimony.
🔗 continued
Outline of Catholic Dogmatics, fr. dr. M. Sieniatycki
#dogma #fidesetratio
According to Catholic teaching, the act of faith is an act of reason, because it is the recognition of the truth revealed by God, and the recognition of truth is a matter of reason. Reason is therefore important in the act of faith. According to the profession of faith prescribed by St. Pius X: "faith is the true consent of reason".
According to Protestants*, the act of faith is not an act of reason, but of will, because it consists in trusting in the forgiveness of sins (this trust is justifying).*(This is only a generalization, as we have many different Protestant factions that may understand faith slightly differently). Protestantism reduces the essence of faith to trust in the salvation obtained by Christ ("only effective if..."), and this is a matter of will, not reason. (However, Fr. Sieniatycki does not claim that, according to Protestants, the awakening of this trust is not preceded by any acts of reason). However, this can be seen more clearly in the words of Martin Luther.
According to modernists, the act of faith is an act of will and feeling, because by feeling the presence of God within oneself, a person comes into contact with Him and has childlike trust and love for Him.
Reason also precedes the act of faith itself, because in order to awaken rational faith, a person must first know whether God is credible and be sure that a given truth has been revealed by God. God's trustworthiness and the fact of revealing a given truth are premises that must precede the act of faith
The will also influences the act of faith, because it prompts the mind to examine religious matters. Since revealed truth may pose difficulties on the part of reason, reason itself, without the influence of the will, cannot agree to a given truth, because reason necessarily agrees only to visible truths.
The Church clearly teaches that the act of faith is a voluntary act. It comes from reason, but at the command of the will, because the freedom of an act flows from the will. The Holy Scripture promises believers a reward and threatens unbelievers with punishment, and a person can only be rewarded or punished for voluntary deeds.
Grace is necessary for divine faith. The act of faith requires many sacrifices and efforts from the mind and will. This cannot be done without God's grace. For the will to cope with all this, it must have a strong desire to believe, and it is a dogma of faith that this kind of affect of faith is impossible without grace.
Reason needs grace when examining the premises of faith. Also, in the act of faith itself, grace is needed for the act to be supernatural and for the will, which voluntarily commands consent to reason, to be willing to give this order, despite the heavy consequences for it.
Divine faith is necessarily connected with truth, so it is absolutely impossible to have theological faith in a false proposition or in an unrevealed truth. Belief in heresy or unrevealed truth is a purely human act and cannot be supported by grace. So it is not a theological faith.
Confidence is the strong adherence of the mind to a certain proposition as true, without fear of making mistakes. The act of faith excludes voluntary doubt, but does not exclude involuntary doubt. Since reason has no evidence of the truth to which it clings, involuntary doubts may arise in it.
Faith is certainty and has the highest certainty because it is based on the highest motive of certainty, which is the truthful and infallible God. Therefore, it is a mistake to call faith an accumulation of probabilities or to treat it as something uncertain.
Faith is the firm acceptance of a statement as truth because of someone else's testimony. Therefore, it differs from an opinion, which is an acceptance of a statement as true, but combined with the possibility of error. It differs from knowledge, which is the acceptance of a proposition as truth for its visibility, not for its testimony.
🔗 continued
Outline of Catholic Dogmatics, fr. dr. M. Sieniatycki
#dogma #fidesetratio
Ecce Verbum
The uneducated can love God just as much as the most learned theologian St. Bonaventure was a close friend of St. Thomas Aquinas. St Bonaventure, the Franciscan saint and Doctor of the Church was no intellectual lightweight. Considered to be the Franciscan…
[Opinion] Theology deepens the understanding of the truths of faith and protects spiritual life from dangerous distortions
“The Church has always taught that the interior life owes much to theology, and that theological studies are in turn enriched by a profound interior life” (Garrigou-Lagrange OP)
I know that sometimes some theological considerations may seem trivial, irrelevant or even purely abstract, without any significance for a good moral life and fruitful faith. Although studying theology and going into these details is not necessary for every believer, although an elementary knowledge of the teachings of the theological masters (St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Alphonsus...) is a very important basis for a reasonable faith, free from heresy and errors that can weaken moral life.
Father Garrigou-Lagrange wrote that Catholic theology protects the spiritual life from falling into subjectivism: "Those who, in prayer to God, are too led by the inclinations of their individual nature, temperament, imagination, sensitivity or character, often fall into sentimental subjectivism."
In this context, it is worth recalling the words of the great mystic, Saint Teresa of Avila, speaking of the authority of theologians: "I use the expression "in my opinion" because I am always ready to believe scholars [theologians] if I am wrong." Because even if they have not experienced these things themselves, there is in them a certain sense of discerning of the things of God. God has appointed them in His Church to be the light, and therefore He enlightens them with truths, so that they may be accepted.”
Theology is not about proving your point or putting purely intellectual considerations above spiritual life, but about a thorough understanding of the truths of faith, which contributes to the development of spiritual life itself, and is also an important element of transmitting the faith to others. So theology is a tool, but not just any or optional tool.
Especially in times of widespread questioning of faith and the world emphasizing apparent contradictions in religion, it seems very necessary to return to traditional theology, which ensures the logical coherence of the entire doctrine and, in my opinion, also solves most contemporary moral and doctrinal problems. I also believe that one cannot take faith seriously and at the same time be indifferent to the errors and distortions spreading within the Church community, which result from disregarding the achievements of Catholic theology. Whoever sincerely wants to go to God and who truly loves Him will also want to get to know Him better and better and share this knowledge with others. Christian humility also obliges us to obey the findings of theologians, especially the Doctors of the Church, as they are more probable and certain than private opinions.
It is impossible to omit the person of Saint Thomas. Pope Leo XIII clearly emphasized his greatness: "Distinguished by a brilliant, extremely penetrating mind, excellent memory, unsullied purity of morals, love of truth and great wealth of divine human knowledge, Thomas warmed the earth with the heat of his virtues and filled it with the splendor of his teaching."
The achievements of Catholic theology are not only of a theoretical nature, but have, especially today, an important practical application, hence Leo XIII said: "In these troubled times, due to the deceit of fraudulent teaching, the Christian faith is being combated and therefore the youth, especially those who are the hope of the Church , should be brought up on strong doctrinal foundation, so that they can grow strong in intellectual and spiritual strength and be well equipped for battle with appropriate weapons, so that they will be accustomed to defend religion wisely and vigorously.
🔗p.2 and source
more:
🔗The relationship between theology and the interior life, Fr R. Garrigou-Lagrange
#theology #fidesetratio
“The Church has always taught that the interior life owes much to theology, and that theological studies are in turn enriched by a profound interior life” (Garrigou-Lagrange OP)
I know that sometimes some theological considerations may seem trivial, irrelevant or even purely abstract, without any significance for a good moral life and fruitful faith. Although studying theology and going into these details is not necessary for every believer, although an elementary knowledge of the teachings of the theological masters (St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Alphonsus...) is a very important basis for a reasonable faith, free from heresy and errors that can weaken moral life.
Father Garrigou-Lagrange wrote that Catholic theology protects the spiritual life from falling into subjectivism: "Those who, in prayer to God, are too led by the inclinations of their individual nature, temperament, imagination, sensitivity or character, often fall into sentimental subjectivism."
In this context, it is worth recalling the words of the great mystic, Saint Teresa of Avila, speaking of the authority of theologians: "I use the expression "in my opinion" because I am always ready to believe scholars [theologians] if I am wrong." Because even if they have not experienced these things themselves, there is in them a certain sense of discerning of the things of God. God has appointed them in His Church to be the light, and therefore He enlightens them with truths, so that they may be accepted.”
Theology is not about proving your point or putting purely intellectual considerations above spiritual life, but about a thorough understanding of the truths of faith, which contributes to the development of spiritual life itself, and is also an important element of transmitting the faith to others. So theology is a tool, but not just any or optional tool.
Especially in times of widespread questioning of faith and the world emphasizing apparent contradictions in religion, it seems very necessary to return to traditional theology, which ensures the logical coherence of the entire doctrine and, in my opinion, also solves most contemporary moral and doctrinal problems. I also believe that one cannot take faith seriously and at the same time be indifferent to the errors and distortions spreading within the Church community, which result from disregarding the achievements of Catholic theology. Whoever sincerely wants to go to God and who truly loves Him will also want to get to know Him better and better and share this knowledge with others. Christian humility also obliges us to obey the findings of theologians, especially the Doctors of the Church, as they are more probable and certain than private opinions.
It is impossible to omit the person of Saint Thomas. Pope Leo XIII clearly emphasized his greatness: "Distinguished by a brilliant, extremely penetrating mind, excellent memory, unsullied purity of morals, love of truth and great wealth of divine human knowledge, Thomas warmed the earth with the heat of his virtues and filled it with the splendor of his teaching."
The achievements of Catholic theology are not only of a theoretical nature, but have, especially today, an important practical application, hence Leo XIII said: "In these troubled times, due to the deceit of fraudulent teaching, the Christian faith is being combated and therefore the youth, especially those who are the hope of the Church , should be brought up on strong doctrinal foundation, so that they can grow strong in intellectual and spiritual strength and be well equipped for battle with appropriate weapons, so that they will be accustomed to defend religion wisely and vigorously.
🔗p.2 and source
more:
🔗The relationship between theology and the interior life, Fr R. Garrigou-Lagrange
#theology #fidesetratio
Ecce Verbum
Faith 3.Erroneous concepts of faith The act of faith involves reason, will and God's grace. The participation of reason in the act of faith is essential.The following theories completely misunderstand faith: 3.1 Traditionalists Traditionalism (errors…
Faith
🔗3.1 Erroneous concepts of faith
Traditionalism is a heresy condemned by the Church
In Catholic dogmatics, traditionalism does not mean views defending traditional liturgy, the traditional way of practicing theology or Tradition as a source of God's Revelation.
Traditionalism is a system that excludes the possibility of proving and knowing the existence of God through reason.
Traditionalism is the precursor of modernism. Traditionalism in its original, more severe form professes that the only way to know God was through divine Revelation. According to traditionalists, God revealed truths about Himself to the first parents, these were passed on to subsequent generations, and so from generation to generation (tradition) we received knowledge about the existence of God and His attributes.
Human reason was therefore incapable of knowing God before Revelation, and after Revelation it is still unable to prove these truths. All knowledge about God is based solely on faith in what God has revealed, and reason is unable to verify it. Traditionalism is therefore a form of fideism.
Pope Gregory XVI condemned traditionalism in 1840. After this condemnation, a milder form of traditionalism arose, which accepted that after receiving revelation, human reason was able to prove God, but without revelation it remained helpless. This form of traditionalism was condemned by Pope Pius IX in 1855. The First Vatican Council also rejected the assumptions of traditionalists.
Traditionalism was a reaction against rationalism, which considered reason to be the highest and only criterion of truth. Traditionalists, wishing to remove the basis for rationalists to reject religion, denied that reason is able to know and verify religious truths. Traditionalism was created in defense of religion, but it led to the denial of the objectivity of faith.
Faith means reasonable acceptance of what God has revealed. In order to believe rationally, one must first reasonably verify that God has revealed something, that He is truthful, and, above all, that He exists. This must be known through reason, not faith, otherwise it would be a new act of faith, which would also require reasonable justification.
Therefore, if human reason was not capable of knowing the existence of God, religious faith would be irrational, blind and could be disregarded easily by everyone. Traditionalists fell into the error of fideism, which ridicules faith and leads to an even greater increase in disbelief.
source: fr. M. Sieniatycki, Outline of Catholic Dogmatics
🔗Fideism and traditionalism
#fidesetratio #faith #dogma
🔗3.1 Erroneous concepts of faith
Traditionalism is a heresy condemned by the Church
In Catholic dogmatics, traditionalism does not mean views defending traditional liturgy, the traditional way of practicing theology or Tradition as a source of God's Revelation.
Traditionalism is a system that excludes the possibility of proving and knowing the existence of God through reason.
Traditionalism is the precursor of modernism. Traditionalism in its original, more severe form professes that the only way to know God was through divine Revelation. According to traditionalists, God revealed truths about Himself to the first parents, these were passed on to subsequent generations, and so from generation to generation (tradition) we received knowledge about the existence of God and His attributes.
Human reason was therefore incapable of knowing God before Revelation, and after Revelation it is still unable to prove these truths. All knowledge about God is based solely on faith in what God has revealed, and reason is unable to verify it. Traditionalism is therefore a form of fideism.
Pope Gregory XVI condemned traditionalism in 1840. After this condemnation, a milder form of traditionalism arose, which accepted that after receiving revelation, human reason was able to prove God, but without revelation it remained helpless. This form of traditionalism was condemned by Pope Pius IX in 1855. The First Vatican Council also rejected the assumptions of traditionalists.
Traditionalism was a reaction against rationalism, which considered reason to be the highest and only criterion of truth. Traditionalists, wishing to remove the basis for rationalists to reject religion, denied that reason is able to know and verify religious truths. Traditionalism was created in defense of religion, but it led to the denial of the objectivity of faith.
Faith means reasonable acceptance of what God has revealed. In order to believe rationally, one must first reasonably verify that God has revealed something, that He is truthful, and, above all, that He exists. This must be known through reason, not faith, otherwise it would be a new act of faith, which would also require reasonable justification.
Therefore, if human reason was not capable of knowing the existence of God, religious faith would be irrational, blind and could be disregarded easily by everyone. Traditionalists fell into the error of fideism, which ridicules faith and leads to an even greater increase in disbelief.
source: fr. M. Sieniatycki, Outline of Catholic Dogmatics
🔗Fideism and traditionalism
#fidesetratio #faith #dogma