THE
P RTAL
October 2012
Page 13
Thoughts on Newman
Newman on the
Reasonableness of Faith
by Br Se an of The Work
‘Surrender’, ‘abandonment’
and ‘trust’ are very apt terms for describing what we
understand by our experience of faith. Alternatively ‘Rational’ may not come to mind so spontaneously.
Yet the reasonableness of our faith is an essential characteristic of both its Credal form and in the lived
experience of the faithful.
the unity of
seemingly opposing realities
of religious faith, rather than being extraneous to our
rational nature, was in fact ‘perfectly consistent’ with
We are prone, often unintentionally, to create a it. In 1829 Newman preached the sermon ‘Religious
false dichotomy between what we understand as Faith Rational’ in which he sought to show how rather
opposing realities in the various dimensions of our than being either solely emotionally charged, or
human existence. However it is the unity of seemingly logically motivated, the assent to faith was based on
opposing realities, such as faith and reason, body reasonable decisions.
and soul, human and divine, which defines the
very Catholic understanding of God and reality. Mary … ‘pondering’ the mysteries
In subsequent sermons Newman held up the Blessed
Indeed it is the inclusion and uniting of apparently
opposing elements in the complexion oppositorum Virgin Mary as the most eloquent example one who
that distinguishes Catholicism from the very rigid sola responds to the decision which faith poses in our lives
on the basis of its very reasonableness, rather than
methodology of Reformation theology.
from cold intellect or emotive enthusiasm. Newman
Comfort … or mere personal opinion set about explaining the evangelists’ portrayal of Mary
Liberal factions at Newman’s time were inclined as ‘pondering’ the mysteries of God which touched her
to view religious faith either as comfort for the life, and ‘treasuring them in her heart.’
simpleminded and emotionally weak, or as mere
personal opinion which could be changed and adapted
It was here that Newman had seen her as one who
at whim. Alternatively rationalist would venture to unites in harmony her powers of reason with the gift
accept articles of faith, but only after they had been of faith. Throughout her life the Blessed Virgin Mary
logically proved and empirically founded. Newman’s exhibits the authentic relation between the aspects
generation was in many ways reaping the first bitter of the motion of human reason, the intervention of
fruits which the philosophical and theological Divine Revelation and the constant response of reason
upheaval of previous centuries had instigated, namely, to this revelation:
an almost total divorcing of faith from reason.
‘Mary is our pattern of Faith, both in the
reception and in the study of Divine Truth.
influence of the
She does not think it enough to accept, she
historical method in exegesis
dwells upon it; not enough to possess, she uses
What was causing all the more reason for alarm,
it; not enough to assent, she develops it; not
particularly in Newman’s time, was that the unabated
enough to submit the Reason, she reasons upon
influence of the historical method in exegesis, which
it; not indeed reasoning first, and believing
had originated in the theological faculties of Germany,
afterwards, with Zacharias, yet firs t believing
meant that Scripture was being questioned by teachers
without reasoning, next from love and reverence,
of theology.
reasoning after believing.’
The Grammar of Assent
Newman’s well known work The Grammar of Assent
sought to challenge these views by showing that the act
We can therefore say that the faith of Mary represents
both the faith of the simple as well as those of the doctors
of the Church – for its object is one and the same.