NATURAL KNOWLEDGE
Reason
- Begins with
- The world we encounter and principles the mind can recognize.
- Works through
- Observation, evidence, and sound argument.
- Can discover
- That God exists, by reasoning from his effects in creation.
The Aquinas series / 03
Faith & reason.
Seeking truth
together.
The mind that asks questions and the heart that trusts God belong to one person. For Aquinas, faith and reason have distinct roles within our search for truth.
Explore how they work togetherONE SOURCE OF TRUTHGod
Through creationReasonThe natural light
of the mind
of the mind
Through revelation & graceFaithAssent to God
who reveals
who reveals
Truth cannot contradict truth.
01 / The distinction
Different ways
of knowing.
Aquinas distinguishes the way we arrive at a truth from the truth itself.
KNOWLEDGE THROUGH REVELATION
Faith
- Begins with
- God making himself and his saving purpose known.
- Assents because
- God, who reveals, is trustworthy.
- Receives
- Mysteries beyond unaided reason, such as the Trinity.
02 / The collaboration
Each has something
to contribute.
Reason remains active within faith. Revelation gives the mind more to contemplate.
Reason serves faith
Prepare
Explore truths that prepare the way for faith, including God’s existence.
Clarify
Use careful distinctions and analogies to understand what revelation teaches.
Examine
Test arguments and identify mistakes behind an apparent contradiction.
Faith enriches reason
Receive
Revelation makes known truths the mind could not discover on its own.
Summa I, q. 1, a. 1Heal & elevate
Grace strengthens our wounded powers and opens them to a higher knowledge.
Fides et Ratio 43Seek more deeply
Love of God moves the believer to understand more of what God reveals.
Catechism 15803 / Nature & grace
“Grace does not destroy natureAquinas · Summa I, q. 1, a. 8, reply to objection 2
but perfects it.”
Our natural powers
We can ask, reason,
understand, and choose.
Helped by grace
God heals and elevates
the person he created.
Faith seeking understanding
The mind continues to explore
the truth received in faith.
Aquinas gives reason a real role in theology: it works from revealed principles, explores their implications, and helps express them clearly.
04 / Questions welcomed
Belief invites
understanding.
Does faith mean setting aside the mind?
Faith engages both intellect and will, assisted by grace. God’s authority is the reason for belief, while credible signs of revelation make that assent reasonable. Inquiry can deepen the believer’s understanding.
Catechism 153–158What should we do with an apparent conflict?
Examine the evidence, the reasoning, and what the teaching actually claims. For Aquinas, a genuine demonstration cannot overturn revealed truth. A difficulty calls for careful inquiry; it does not make contradictory claims equally true.
Summa I, q. 1, a. 8Can reason discover every truth of faith?
Aquinas says our destiny in God exceeds the reach of natural reason. Revelation makes that destiny known. It also makes truths about God accessible that unaided reason would otherwise reach only with difficulty. Reason can explore a revealed mystery without independently proving it.
Summa I, q. 1, a. 1Is scientific inquiry welcome here?
The Church affirms rigorous research conducted with integrity. Faith and the natural world have the same divine source. Distinguishing evidence from speculation, and doctrine from a mistaken interpretation, belongs to the work of understanding.
Catechism 159