"The Day is Now Far Spent" by Cardinal Sarah and N. Diat - A Comment

The Day is Now Far Spent was published a few months ago. In it, Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, currently Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship, gives his reading of the situation of the world—especially the West—and the Catholic Church today.

You can find the book in paper and kindle editions as well as on audio. There are several excellent reviews of the book such as this one,  as well as this excellent introduction by the interviewer-interlocutor of the book, Nicolas Diat.

The title is based on Lk 24:13-35 which you can read in full here:

[...]While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognising him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cle′opas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel... And he said to them, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent”[...]

Cardinal Sarah speaks about the crises afflicting faith, priesthood, the Church and the West on a larger scale. He speaks about life, religious freedom, the family, liberal democracy, from an unusual perspective for Western readers, a viewpoint which is both hopeful and daring, straightforward and deep. For instance when asked what the most needed virtue for our times is, he responds by pointing out to the virtue of religion—the sense of the sacred. 

The book is not a structured development of topics in a logical order, but follows an informal, conversational style. However it is insightful, and remarkable in the way it uses faith and reason together to approach each of the topics.

The Day is Now Far Spent is a frank reading of a complex, structural crisis affecting the West and its sphere of influence. It is, at the same time, a fresh breath of hope solidly grounded on Scripture, Tradition and Magisterium—the key elements of the Catholic worldview—for anyone prepared to take it in. Definitely worth reading.




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Good Models of F&R in Action

There is an uninterrupted stream of great thinkers from the beginnings of Christianity used "reason"—rational arguments, human wisdom, philosophy—to understand, deepen, explain or even defend their belief in Christian revelation—"faith".

So this in article we are not interested as much in a clear cut disciplinary distinction between, for instance philosophers, theologians or literary writers, as we are in the use of faith and reason in the way described above. In other words in how they have accounted for the hope in them (1 Pet 3:15).

In this tradition two giants stand out right away: St Augustine of Hippo and St Thomas Aquinas. They are not the only models by far, and they are not opposed to each other, as Thomas, who is posterior assumes Augustine in his own thinking though sometimes reaching a different perspective. Philosophically Augustine relies more on Plato, whereas Thomas, without ignoring Plato draws much more from Aristotle's works just made available during Aquinas's life. There might even be an "temperamental affinity" between Augustine and Plato on the one hand, and Thomas and Aristotle on the other.

To be sure there are, before and after Augustine and Thomas, many great and original Christian thinkers up to this day who continue to give reasons for their faith. But in a way the two giants are so important that it is impossible to ignore them, and consciously or unconsciously to lean more towards one of them or the other.

There is abundant literature about both of them, and the challenge is not to find information but to discern it. Here the criterion used for this selection follows the goal outlined in the initial paragraph, at an introductory level.

With that in mind, here is a recent and short article about St Augustine. If you wish to approach one of his many works check this English translation of De Civitate Dei ("The city of God"). Try for instance reading Book 8 or Book 19.

For St Thomas read this also short and recent article. One of his works that exemplifies this use of reason to account for our faith is the Summa contra Gentiles (roughly a "Compendium against the Errors of Unbelievers". Try reading chapters 2 or 4 to start with.

Contemporary models leaning more towards de Augustinian tradition include Josef Ratzinger, theologian, cardinal and eventually Benedict XVI. See this short address of his on faith and reason given at Regensburg. Check this article by Tracey Rowland on him. Cardinal Robert Sarah in his new book "The Day is Now Far Spent" (read a good review here) heavily relies on Ratzinger too. Another very influential Catholic thinker in this same stream might be Saint John Henry Newman, who was recently referred to as "the Augustine of our times".  

On the Aquinas side names that immediately come to mind are Josef Pieper (wonderful article about him here), Etienne Gilson (find here a wonderful bio), Jacques Maritain (see bio at a centre that bears his name), Cornelio Fabro (see bio and works on a dedicated website) and Karol Wojtyla, later John Paul II (see an article about his grounding in St Thomas).

These are only a few names, good points of reference for anyone who wishes to harmoniously combine faith and reason. Other examples are Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Clive Staples Lewis, Elizabeth Anscombe and Peter Kreeft.

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