Spe Salvi - April 26, 2008 Reflections on Hope by Pope Benedict Day 13

13. There is no doubt, therefore, that a "Kingdom of God" accomplished without God-a kingdom therefore of man alone-inevitably ends up as the "perverse end" of all things as described by Kant: we have seen it, and we see it over and over again. Yet neither is there any doubt that God truly enters into human affairs only when, rather than being present merely in our thinking, he himself comes towards us and speaks to us. Reason therefore needs faith if it is to be completely itself: reason and faith need one another in order to fulfil their true nature and their mission.


Faith and Reason go hand in hand!
Reflection by Msgr. Vaccari
When Pope John Paul II wrote of Faith and Reason, he was offering us an opportunity to reflect deeply on how these two interact with each other and help each other. The danger for a religious person may be to overlook reason, while a danger for an intellectually gifted person may be to overlook faith. Faith and reason challenge each other and support each other. When we as disciples try to follow the Lord, we do not have to let go of any of the gifts he has given to us. All we have to do it use them in the right direction, directing our energy to the Lord who gave them to us and in whom they find their real meaning and fulfillment. One without the other distorts our lives and our search for truth. Together, they help us come to a deeper knowledge and love of the Lord who became one with us!

Spe Salvi - April 26, 2008 Reflections on Hope by Pope Benedict Day 13