Opening Prayer
Lord, I confess that my human reason and worldly science are too limited in their span to grasp Thy infinite perfections. I acknowledge that the light of faith is a true participation in Thy own divine light, a beam that penetrates the darkness where reason falters. Help me to bypass the obscurity of sin so that the edifice of my mind may begin to see all things as Thou seest them.
I petition Thee for a faith that penetrates the shadows to reach the infinity of Thy Being. Though I now behold Thee as if through a dark cloud, let this faith sustain the scaffolding of my soul until the day I see Thee face to face. I submit my intellect to Thy truth, knowing that Thy word is an unfailing foundation and Thy goodness is a refuge for the faithful.
Amen.
Matthew 28:18-20
18And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. 19Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.
St. John Eudes
St. John Eudes teaches that human intelligence is “too full of the darkness” to attain genuine knowledge of God on its own. Faith, however, is a participation in the Divine Light. This perspective aligns with the Church Fathers’ view that faith “penetrates God’s shadows.” This light is essentially linked to the Eucharist, where we must “see the Eucharist with the eyes of the mind” rather than the senses. Within the Mystical Body, faith allows us to know that God is “true in His words and unfailing in His promises.” This Supernatural virtue elevates the mind to behold Divine Perfections that human science can never grasp.
St. John Eudes emphasizes that faith does not “debase” God’s greatness to fit our minds; rather, it elevates our minds to behold Him “just as He exists in the eyes of God.” He warns that while God is “goodness and gentleness” to the faithful, He is “terror and severity” to those who abandon Him.
“But the light of faith is a participation in the truth and light of God. So it can’t possibly deceive you. In fact, it shows you things as God sees them: that is, as they truly are.”— St. John Eudes
Mary and the Magisterium
Mary is the “Mother of the recreated world”, through whom the “true Light” entered our darkness. Her Faith was the doorway for the Incarnation. The Magisterium acts as the “servant of the Truth,” as the Bishop preserves the “Apostolic traditions”. By following the Bishop, the faithful are protected from the “devices of innovators” who would rely on weak human reason alone. Mary stands as the model of the “submission of the human mind” to Divine Revelation, an obedience that the Office of the Priest is ordained to facilitate in every believer.
- What truths about God can human reason alone show me?
- What does my faith tell me about God that science and human philosophy could never have discovered?
Closing Prayer
Lord God, you’re infinite and eternal, beyond all I can think or even imagine. Though in this life I can’t know you fully, yet I can know you truly because you’ve revealed yourself to me in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
