Episode #3: The Church on Philosophy

In this episode of The Thomistic Mind, Dr. Jason Reed offers a brief review of key themes from Episode 2, including the biblical command to give reasons for the faith, the need to refute false ideas about God, and the importance of intellectual formation within the Church. Building on that foundation, the episode turns to a question that surprises many: the Catholic Church does not merely tolerate philosophy—she esteems it, teaches it, and in certain contexts obliges its study.

Grounding this teaching in Sacred Scripture, the episode presents Christ as the Divine Logos (John 1:1)—the eternal Word, Reason, and Wisdom of God. Because the Son is God’s own Reason made flesh, the pursuit of truth, logic, and intelligibility is not opposed to faith but flows from its very center. Philosophy, therefore, is shown to be a natural ally of theology and an essential preparation for understanding divine revelation.

The episode then examines authoritative Church teaching from Vatican I and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which affirm that God’s existence can be known with certainty by the natural light of human reason. This classical teaching challenges modern skepticism and calls Christians to recover confidence in reason’s ability to know objective truth. The lecture concludes with the Church’s historical witness—especially Pope Leo XIII’s Aeterni Patris—and the enduring role of St. Thomas Aquinas in uniting faith and reason.