Truth escorts us to freedom. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the Jews who believe in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 32:14-15). Christ strengthens us with his promise in these verses. In our daily lives, however,
false notions of truth lead us away from the promises of Christ. For instance, there is
the drive for success in the American culture. We often hear success stories that promote
"positive thinking" influenced by pop psychology, or a well-packaged
six-step program for achieving perfect happiness. Can “Just Do It,” a motto by Nike Corporation, set us free? Jesus, of course, has something to say about truth performing that function. Amidst the smorgasbord of conflicting principles our society proposes for our attention,
have any freed us? Truth that is revealed to us through Christ is evident in the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas.
The Catholic Church does not dogmatically ascribe to one specific philosophy, but
she holds up Thomistic philosophy as the model to be taught in Catholic seminaries and institutions (see Leo XIII's
Aeterni Patris; John Paul II's
Fides et Ratio, 43-44; and the
Code of Canon Law, 252.3). Thomas's"perennial philosophy" had fallen into widespread disuse by the 1800s in Catholic theological circles. Leo XIII penned
Aeterni Patris to revive it. [...]
There are many disparate, often conflicting, ways to understand man. Thomistic philosophical anthropology proposes that
man becomes more himself as he grows in moral virtue, producing a harmony between reason and emotion within his soul. Thomas, following the Aristotelian tradition, states that human beings have higher cognitive faculties than plants and animals.
Due to man's cognitive power, his emotional life is likewise more sophisticated. [...]
There are
two mistakes we can make when it comes to the
relation of reason and emotion. One is to
let emotions fly loose and our passions govern us—this only leads to unstable behavior and unhappiness, since our lives will not be rooted in the truth. If we simply follow our passions as they lead, we will find ourselves more and more
unable to make lasting commitments based in the truth. The other mistake is the opposite:
to employ our reason as a tyrant over our emotions, trying to suppress them altogether at any hint of their operation. Aquinas offers a different way.
Harmony between reason and will leads to a healthy emotional life, which is essential to knowing who we are as persons. Disorder between them may be the leading cause of why commitments are so often not made in today’s world. The
philosophy of "voluntarism" is one way of pinpointing the problem. While a Thomistic approach looks at reason as the supreme faculty that guides will and emotion, voluntaristic philosophy holds up the
will as more superior to reason and emotion. Voluntaristic philosophy
encourages a person to will the good with self-control and effort, even if a person dislikes doing it. The moral act of willing without the proper use of reason sets one up for irrational decisions. If a person is
constantly willing without the guidance of reason, he or she may eventually be bombarded with unstable emotions --- depression, feelings of guilt, obsessive compulsion, etc. [...]
Reason that guides the will and emotions, rather than the reverse, frees people from a gloomy life filled with emotional disturbances. Christ himself experienced emotions such as desire and aversion to despair and fear, but he had virtuous responses to these appetites. For Thomas,
continual perfection of the virtues results in stronger passions ---
through our striving for a virtuous life, we begin to be more Christ-like. [...]
Popular principles and philosophies have misguided us. Many philosophies, especially the voluntaristic philosophy, have influenced our society with unreliable truths and
defense mechanisms in dealing with ourselves. But have these given us truth about man?
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