Since 1987, I have been giving varied courses on the Faith to different groups of people, from teenagers to men and women of different occupations (including household work). It was inspiring to see their eagerness to know their Faith better, to explore it and be able to explain it to others.
I realized, however, that exploring the intricacies of the Faith was not possible without the appropriate philosophical tools. Hence, aside from dealing with dogma, I also found it necessary to explain certain philosophical concepts and principles that the Church employs to expound the truths of Faith.
I found an opportunity to distill the more important ideas in a series of articles that appeared in O Clarim, Macau’s trilingual Catholic Weekly, from 26 January 2017 to 21 September 2018. I have retained the content of the articles as they were published. Thus, the reader will find constant mention of the article “from last week” or “next week.”
I hope that this book can provide a sneak preview of essential philosophical concepts and principles needed by a faith that seeks understanding - fides quærens intellectum.
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“It is a reasonable position to deny the stones in the street; it will be a religious dogma to assert them. It is a rational thesis that we are all in a dream; it will be a mystical sanity to say that we are all awake. Fires will be kindled to testify that two and two make four. Swords will be drawn to prove that leaves are green in summer.”
Gilbert K. Chesterton, “Concluding Remarks on the Importance of Orthodoxy” in Heretics
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The author is a priest of the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, ordained by St John Paul II at Saint Peter's Basilica on 21 June 1987. He is now the director of Macau's trilingual Catholic Weekly O Clarim.
I realized, however, that exploring the intricacies of the Faith was not possible without the appropriate philosophical tools. Hence, aside from dealing with dogma, I also found it necessary to explain certain philosophical concepts and principles that the Church employs to expound the truths of Faith.
I found an opportunity to distill the more important ideas in a series of articles that appeared in O Clarim, Macau’s trilingual Catholic Weekly, from 26 January 2017 to 21 September 2018. I have retained the content of the articles as they were published. Thus, the reader will find constant mention of the article “from last week” or “next week.”
I hope that this book can provide a sneak preview of essential philosophical concepts and principles needed by a faith that seeks understanding - fides quærens intellectum.
====
“It is a reasonable position to deny the stones in the street; it will be a religious dogma to assert them. It is a rational thesis that we are all in a dream; it will be a mystical sanity to say that we are all awake. Fires will be kindled to testify that two and two make four. Swords will be drawn to prove that leaves are green in summer.”
Gilbert K. Chesterton, “Concluding Remarks on the Importance of Orthodoxy” in Heretics
***
The author is a priest of the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, ordained by St John Paul II at Saint Peter's Basilica on 21 June 1987. He is now the director of Macau's trilingual Catholic Weekly O Clarim.