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Walking the Path of Tradition
“A
quite special place in this long development [longo
itinere] belongs to Saint
Thomas, not only because of what he taught [ob
ea quae in eius doctrina continentur] but also because
of the dialogue which he undertook with the Arab and Jewish
thought of his time. In an age when Christian thinkers were
rediscovering the treasures of ancient philosophy, and more
particularly of Aristotle, Thomas had the great merit of giving
pride of place to the harmony which exists between faith and
reason. Both the light of reason and the light of faith come
from God, he argued; hence there can be no contradiction between
them.
More
radically, Thomas recognized that nature, philosophy's proper
concern, could contribute to the understanding of divine Revelation.
Faith therefore has no fear of reason, but seeks it out and
has trust in it. Just as grace builds on nature and
brings it to fulfillment, so faith builds upon and perfects
reason. Illumined by faith, reason is set free from the fragility
and limitations deriving from the disobedience of sin and
finds the strength required to rise to the knowledge of the
Triune God. Although he made much of the supernatural character
of faith, the Angelic Doctor did not overlook the importance
of its reasonableness; indeed he was able to plumb the depths
and explain the meaning of this reasonableness. Faith is in
a sense an “exercise of thought”; and human reason is neither
annulled nor debased in assenting to the contents of faith,
which are in any case attained by way of free and informed
choice.
This
is why the Church has been justified in consistently proposing
Saint Thomas as a master of thought and a model of the right
way to do theology. In this connection, I would recall what
my Predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI, wrote on the occasion
of the seventh centenary of the death of the Angelic Doctor:
“Without doubt, Thomas possessed supremely the courage of
the truth, a freedom of spirit in confronting new problems,
the intellectual honesty of those who allow Christianity to
be contaminated neither by secular philosophy nor by a prejudiced
rejection of it. He passed therefore into the history of Christian
thought as a pioneer of the new path of philosophy and universal
culture. The key point and almost the kernel of the solution
which, with all the brilliance of his prophetic intuition,
he gave to the new encounter of faith and reason was a reconciliation
between the secularity of the world and the radicality of
the Gospel, thus avoiding the unnatural tendency to negate
the world and its values while at the same time keeping faith
with the supreme and inexorable demands of the supernatural
order.”
John
Paul II, Fides et Ratio, 43
Aquinas is the
cornerstone of Catholic thought, not just for his doctrine,
but for his fidelity and prayer; for his constant and humble
attitude of inclusion instead of exclusion—always open both
to the truths coming from the faith and to those coming from
every other thinker and tradition. He did not create a philosophical
or theological system—from which eventually some truth,
either natural or supernatural, would have been ruled out;
rather, he was always ready to welcome new philosophical insights,
and to see the constant need for finding harmony between them
and the depositum fidei. Thomism is not just one out
of many Christian traditions of thought; it is the only safe
home where every sincere Christian intellectual can find comfortable
refuge and establish the constructive dialogue with other
thinkers which leads to the truth.
Aquinas is the
model of Catholic thinkers also because he was an authentic
citizen of his time: the Medieval Renaissance. He traveled
all around the XIII-century world [Europe] more than most
of his contemporaries. He gave refined and remarkable answers
to the most difficult political, legal and ethical issues
debated in his culture. Due to his exceptional problem-solving
capacity, he was asked to accomplish (or give advise for)
difficult political missions and legal tasks; he was even
executor of a will. Indeed, his knowledge of law and politics
matched his knowledge of theology and philosophy. Today, in
a culture that has lost unity of knowledge and is far from
being universal; in a society that has to face the new challenges
of relativism and nihilism, on the one hand, and of globalization,
on the other, Aquinas’s life and thought set the right direction
for a revival of truth in ethics and metaphysics.
After Aquinas,
his spirit has lived over the centuries through other exceptional
people who not only studied what he wrote, but incarnated
his same love for God and for “the world and its values;”
people with the same “courage of the truth,” “freedom of spirit
in confronting new problems,” and “the intellectual honesty
of those who allow Christianity to be contaminated neither
by secular philosophy nor by a prejudiced rejection of it;”
people who pass as well “into the history of Christian thought”
as pioneers of the new paths of “philosophy and universal
culture” (Fides et Ratio, 43) and who keep Aquinas
alive for the generations to come. These people connect the
past to the future by leaving behind them, not just their
priceless writings, but also many good students and young
scholars trained in fidelity to the Church, intellectual freedom,
open mindedness, and respect for diversity: “by their fruits
you will know them” (Matthew 7:20). In our recent history,
we can think of Cornelio Fabro, Etienne Gilson, Jacques Maritain,
and Ralph McInerny. These “Thomists” have always had greater
love for the tradition than for themselves: they have looked
to each other, respected each other, worked with each other.
Thomistic tradition cannot do without these authentic Thomists,
and should stick to them if it wants to go on steadily through
the centuries.
Ralph McInerny
is undoubtedly one of the greatest Thomists alive. His many
books and articles are a reference point for whoever today
wants to approach Aquinas’ thought without narrowness and
ideological partialities. His expertise is not limited to
Aquinas, but goes through the whole history of philosophy
and literature. His strong passion for the faith and his love
for “universal culture” made of him also a publisher of Catholic
magazines and of Aquinas’ commentaries, and also a pleasant
novelist, a careful historian, and a demanding editorialist.
He has been a very good friend of other important Thomists
such as Maritain, Gilson, and Fabro. He has been for many
years the Director of the Jacques Maritain Center at the University
of Notre Dame. He is today one of the main chains of the
tradition—a person who is doing his best to pass it on.
It is very fitting for a new research center on Thomistic
studies to pick up his inheritance and build upon it. To honor
both Ralph McInerny and the Thomistic tradition, the Ralph
McInerny Center will:
a.
Collect, catalogue, and preserve the entire
production of Ralph McInerny;
b. Promote
the translation and publication
of his works into the main European languages: at least, French,
German, Italian, and Spanish;
c.
Organize an annual “McInerny
Lecture” that will be published in a special series;
d. Confer
an annual “McInerny Fellowship/Scholarship”
to spend in the Center upon either scholars or professionals
or students who will be willing and qualified to do research
on his thought.
Aquinas and the Contemporary World
The renewal of
Thomistic studies in the contemporary world starts with philosophy
and theology but it cannot be limited to them. Neither can
it be limited to one country and to one language, nor to just
Thomists and Catholics. Aquinas should keep walking all around
the world—all around the branches of human knowledge, beliefs
and activities.
The renewal of
Thomistic studies in the contemporary world means to recover
unity of knowledge and problem solving capacity; and to create
a wide international community of intellectuals and professionals
working in all today’s relevant fields and disciplines. Sometimes
philosophers and theologians speak a language that scientists,
politicians, economists, lawyers, sociologists, etc., do not
understand. Sometimes the former do not have clear and reasonable
answers to the questions of the latter. It is intrinsic to
the authentic nature of Thomistic studies the need for holding
a constant dialogue with contemporary culture and science.
The Ralph
McInerny Center aims at promoting
a strong and accurate rereading of Aquinas’ philosophy and
theology but, at the same time, it aims at making Aquinas’
thought fruitfully converse with contemporary culture, especially
in the areas of bioethics, legal theory, economics, political
theory, literature, science, and sociology.
Besides the activities
mentioned above, the Center will operate according to the
following
Agenda
Publications
Publication of
the entire work of Aquinas
in three series:
-
English Translation Series
-
Latin-English Series
-
Critical Edition (Latin-English) Series
“The Critical
Edition Series” will be published also in the other
main European languages: at least, Latin-French, Latin-German,
Latin-Italian, and Latin-Spanish. This series will become
the world’s standard critical edition of Aquinas’ work—not
just a sign of vitality of Thomistic studies and a useful
tool, but also a necessary instrument for whoever wants to
know and study Aquinas’s thought. It goes without saying that
this project will fill a huge gap in Thomistic literature,
as no similar publication has been done so far in any language.
Publication on
the web, among other things, of: (a) the catalogue
of the center’s library; (b) news about Thomistic studies
in the world; (c) bibliographical information and material;
(d) Aquinas’ texts in several languages. This webpage will
eventually make available online the entire work of Aquinas.
Translation
from English into other languages, and from other languages
into English, of relevant books, textbooks and articles in
Thomistic studies. Special attention will be given to writings
creatively and effectively addressing current issues in politics,
law, economics, science, bioethics, and other professional
fields.
International
Journal of philosophy and theology.
Courses:
The Center will
offer courses in philosophy and theology
for both students and professionals.
Conferences:
Organization
of an annual “International Thomistic
Conference” in which experts of Aquinas’s thought will
both confront each other in issues related to Aquinas’s thought
and confront contemporary leading thinkers in other philosophical
and theological traditions, as well as in science, business,
politics, and law. The proceedings of the Conference will
be published in a special series directed by the Center.
Official
presentations of the publications promoted by the Center.
Research
and Scholarship:
Creation of a
competitive Library and Reading Room
in Thomistic Studies.
Annual “Aquinas
Fellowship or Scholarship” to spend in the Center for
either scholars or professionals or students who want to do
research on Aquinas’ thought.
Sponsoring other
Research Fellowships, Research Grants, and Adjunct
or Visiting Professorships.
Involvement with
other international organizations.
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