Fides

I was reading an Encyclical of Pope John Paul II recently, entitled Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason). It was published in 1998. It has some wonderful formulations about the relationship of faith and reason--and the meaning of divine revelation. For example: "Revelation disrupts our usual thinking. Every human philosophy is challenged by Jesus' death on the cross. To reduce the Father's saving plan to human logic is doomed to fail." And this: "Reason without faith risks losing sight of its final aim. Faith without reason risks ending up in myth and superstition." And this: "The sacred text rejects all forms of relativism, materialism, and pantheism." And this: "To believe in a universally valid truth does not mean intolerance; it is the essential condition for a sincere dialogue." And here is a wonderful statement about the mystery of God: "Revelation remains charged with mystery! Jesus revealed the face of the Father, but our vision of God remains impaired by the limits of our understanding. Faith is the obedience we must render God's self-revelation. Entrusting oneself in this way to God is a moment of fundamental decision."

Catholic theology has a wonderful way of holding together Faith and Reason. God calls us to belief, but not  to absurdity. God calls us to think, but not to refuse Mystery.