Gospel: The Faith and Reason of Truly Wise Men
By Fr. Jerome Magat
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 1/4/07)
The term “Epiphany” finds its roots in a
word that means “manifestation.” The Christ Child is manifested
not only to Jewish shepherds, but to Gentile wise men, the Magi.
The story of the Magi reveals to us important symbolism, such as the significance
of the gifts presented to Jesus, and God’s desire to make Himself
known not only to the Jews, but to all men. The Magi’s quest to
find our blessed Lord also demonstrates an often overlooked lesson: the
importance of using one’s faith and reason to know and love Jesus
better.
The Magi probably weren’t kings, but wise men trained in the science
of the stars. They probably were persons of means, since they had time
to study the stars and didn’t have to concern themselves with the
affairs of earning a daily wage. Their interest in the star that appeared
in the East reveals to us the complementary nature of faith and reason.
The Magi are drawn to Bethlehem in two ways. First, they are drawn by
intellectual curiosity — they want to learn more about the star
they had studied. Second, and more importantly, they are drawn by faith.
Rather than simply study the star, they bring gifts to adore the newborn
king, in an act of faith.
This natural hierarchy that places faith above reason reminds us that
objects of faith are more certain than objects of reason. That is why
we can say that the articles of the Creed are even more certain than the
simple proposition 2+2=4. Why?
Consider the source. God is the source and object of divine revelation,
which the articles of the Catholic Faith express. Meanwhile, math equations
are only propositions of the human mind, a far less reliable source of
information and truth.
And yet, the empiricist philosopher tells us to believe that x can only
be true if it can be proven. Conversely, faith can’t be true since
it cannot be calculated. Thus, one’s faith is no better than one’s
opinion — a merely private intellectual musing.
The classic Catholic position teaches the opposite. It says, “If
God is the source of the proposition, then it MUST be true, and in fact
more certain than anything the human mind can fathom on its own, because
God can neither deceive nor be deceived.” Unfortunately, most persons
in the West are taught to think, “If I can’t prove it, it’s
probably not true” — or in moral terms, “If I don’t
understand or agree with the Church’s teaching, the teaching is
probably flawed and thereby does not bind me to obey.”
St. Anselm contradicted this line of thought by asserting, “I believe
so that I may understand.” Keep in mind that for Catholics, faith
and reason are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they should be thought
of as two wings of the same bird lifting us up to discover and ponder
the holy face of God.
In an age of skepticism, where the secularization of society makes faith
and reason false opposites, the Magi teach us to appreciate the relationship
between faith and reason. We have the capacity to use both gifts to understand
better our God as He is, not Who we want to make Him out to be so as to
satisfy our curiosity or sense of security.
Let us heed the example of the Magi who, driven by faith and reason, were
filled with joy when they discovered the Holy Family in Bethlehem.
Fr. Magat is Parochial Vicar at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Colonial Beach and
Copyright (c) 2007 Arlington Catholic
Herald
