St. Thomas Aquinas made significant contributions towards the dialogue between reason and faith, between philosophy and theology.
Faith and reason support each other. Benedict XVI said, “Faith, in fact, protects reason from any temptation to distrust its own abilities, stimulates it to be open to ever broader horizons, keeps alive in it the search for foundations and, when reason itself is applied to the supernatural sphere of the relationship between God and man, faith enriches his work. According to St. Thomas, for example, human reason can certainly reach the affirmation of the existence of one God, but only faith, which receives the divine Revelation, is able to draw from the mystery of the Love of the Triune God.”
The Holy Father continued: “Moreover, it is not only faith that helps reason. Reason too, with its own means can do something important for faith, making it a threefold service which St. Thomas sums up in the preface to his commentary on the De Trinitate of Boethius: ‘demonstrating those truths that are preambles of the faith; giving a clearer notion, by certain similitudes, of the truths of the faith; resisting those who speak against the faith, either by showing that their statements are false, or by showing that they are not necessarily true’ (q. 2, a.3).”
Spiritual reading and the studying of faith are important means to strengthen our faith. We also have a moral obligation to protect our faith by avoiding reading materials that are dangerous to faith.
There are a number of wonderful podcasts and YouTube channels which give valuable intellectual support to the faithful. Here are a few recommendations: Pints with Aquinas, Reason and Theology, and Philokalia Ministries.
Reason is perfected by faith whereas nature is perfected by grace. Benedict XVI said, “Divine Grace does not annihilate but presupposes and perfects human nature. The latter, in fact, even after sin, is not completely corrupt but wounded and weakened. Grace, lavished upon us by God and communicated through the Mystery of the Incarnate Word, is an absolutely free gift with which nature is healed, strengthened and assisted in pursuing the innate desire for happiness in the heart of every man and of every woman. All the faculties of the human being are purified, transformed and uplifted by divine Grace.”
Due to our wounded and weakened human nature, our efforts to cooperate with grace are a spiritual battle. The Eastern spiritual classic, The Philokalia, frequently mentioned two spiritual weapons for spiritual combat: watchfulness and stillness.
According to the glossary in the English edition of The Philokalia, watchfulness “signifies an attitude of attentiveness, whereby one keeps watch over one’s inward thoughts and fantasies, maintaining guard over the heart and intellect.” In the West, spiritual masters teach us to sanctify daily activities through “custody of the heart,” “guarding of the heart,” and “purity of intention.” St. Josemaría Escrivá wrote, “Purity of intention. The suggestions of pride and the impulses of the flesh are not difficult to recognize … And you fight, and with grace, you conquer.”
The glossary of The Philokalia defines stillness as “a state of inner tranquillity or mental quietude and concentration which arises in conjunction with, and is deepened by, the practice of pure prayer and the guarding of the heart. Not simply silence, but an attitude of listening to God and of openness towards him.” In the West, spiritual masters wrote about “interior silence” and “spirit of recollection.” St. Faustina wrote, “In order to hear the voice of God, one has to have silence in one’s soul and to keep silence; not a gloomy silence but an interior silence; that is to say, recollected in God.” The saint also wrote, “A silent soul is strong; no adversities will harm it if it perseveres in silence. The silent soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God. It lives almost always under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God works in a silent soul without hindrance.”
St. Thomas Aquinas prayed: “Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you.”
恩寵成全本性
聖多馬斯·阿奎那對理性與信仰、哲學與神學之間的對話做出了重大貢獻。
信仰和理性相輔相成。本篤十六世說：『事實上，信仰保護理性免受任何不信任自身能力的誘惑，刺激理性向更廣闊的視野開放，保持對基礎的探索，當理性本身應用於天主與人之間關係的超自然領域時，信仰豐富了他的工作。』例如，根據聖多馬斯的說法，人類的理性當然可以達到對一個天主存在的肯定，但只有接受神聖啟示的信仰才能從三位一體天主之愛的奧秘中汲取靈感。
教宗繼續說：『此外，幫助理性的不僅僅是信仰。 理性也可以用它自己的方式為信仰做一些重要的事情，使它成為一種三重的服務，聖多馬斯在他對波愛修斯的三位一體評論的序言中總結了這一點：「證明那些作為信仰序言的真理； 通過某些類比，對信仰的真理給出更清晰的概念； 抵制那些反對信仰的人，或是通過表明他們的陳述是錯誤的，或是通過表明他們不一定是真實的」(q. 2, a.3).』
靈修閱讀和信仰研究是加強我們信仰的重要方法。我們也有道德義務通過避免閱讀對信仰有害的資料來保護我們的信仰。
有許多精彩的播客和Youtube頻道，為信徒提供寶貴的智力支援。以下是一些建議“Pints with Aquinas”, “Reason and Theology”, and “Philokalia Ministries”。
理性因信而成全，而自然因恩寵而成全。本篤十六世說：『神聖的恩寵不是消滅，而是預設和成全人性。事實上，後者即使在犯罪之後，也不是完全腐敗，而是受到傷害和削弱。天主賜予我們並透過道成肉身聖言的奧跡所傳達的恩寵是一種完全白白的恩賜，它可以治愈、加強和協助每個男女內心對幸福的內在渴望。 人類的所有機能都被神聖的恩寵淨化、轉化和提升。』
由於我們受傷和軟弱的人性，我們與恩寵合作的努力是一場屬靈的爭戰。東方神修經典Philokalia《慕善集》經常提到兩種精神爭戰的屬靈武器：守望和靜止。
根據《慕善集》英文版的詞彙表，守望：『表示一種專注的態度，即一個人監視自己內在的想法和幻想，保持對心靈和智力的警惕。』在西方，靈修導師教導我們通過『守護心靈』和『純正的意向』來聖化日常活動。聖若瑟瑪利亞、施禮華寫道：『純正的意向。驕傲的建議和肉體的衝動不難識別……你戰鬥，並透過恩寵你征服了。』
《慕善集》的詞彙表將靜止定義為：『一種內在的寧靜或精神上的寧靜和專注的狀態，它與純粹的祈禱和心靈的守護相結合，並因練習而加深。不僅僅是沉默，而是一種傾聽天主和對祂開放的態度。』在西方，精神大師寫了『內在的靜默』和『收斂心神』。聖傅天娜寫道：『為了聽到天主的聲音，一個人必須在自己的靈魂中沉默並保持沉默;不是陰鬱的沉默，而是內心的沉默;也就是說，在天主裡收斂。』聖人還寫道：『沉默的靈魂是強大的;如果它默默地堅持下去，任何逆境都不會傷害它。沉默的靈魂能夠達到與天主最親近的聯合。它幾乎總是生活在聖神的默示下。天主在一個沉默的靈魂中工作，沒有阻礙。』
聖多馬斯·阿奎那祈禱：『我的主，我的天主，求袮賜予我認識袮的心，尋求袮的心，找到袮的智慧，討袮的喜悅，忠心的毅力等候袮，並有最終擁抱袮的盼望。』
