One winged bird?

“Faith and Reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth...”

Pope John Paul II began his encyclical Fides et ratio (On the Relationship between Faith and Reason) with the above line, comparing the relationship between faith and reason to a bird’s wings. Truly, a bird cannot fly without both of its wings. In the same way, we cannot fly to God without both faith and reason. Our rational capacity is unique to us (humanity) and has traditionally been accepted as that which separates us from the other animals. Many have also ventured to say that it is also what makes us created in the image of God.

On September 14, 1998, John Paul the Great gave this magnificent letter to the Church in hopes to bolster the use of reason in our search for God. And I doubt he could have picked a better day for this letter. Sept. 14 is traditionally the day when the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Of the Cross, St Paul says, “but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1Cor 1:23-24). Christ, as the Word incarnate, was around at the time of creation. The entire Trinity had a hand in creation, because each part of the Trinity is God. So to discard any part of the Trinity during any part of the history of the world would be a fault. Who is to say that the Logos, the Word of God, did not influence Plato, Aristotle, or any of the other great ancient philosophers whose work has given much influence to theology used today? Remember, St Paul was no idiot. He had most likely been schooled in Greek philosophy. It shows in the Platonic thought that can be found throughout the Pauline corpus.

So what am I saying? Well, for starters, if you try to fly to God with only one of your wings (faith or reason), you will only get so far. As John Paul the Great showed through his encyclical, faith without reason risks becoming mere speculation. And reason without faith risks losing any reason to go beyond the senses (what can concretely be experienced in this world). But with faith and reason working hand in hand, the possibilities are amazing!

Pope Benedict attempted to show this in his speech at Regensburg. He never intended to cause the hell-storm that came forth instead. He simply was offering an abbreviated version of Fides et ratio.