All sacred texts and philosophies attempt to articulate
ultimate truths and archetypal values
but they are always approximations of truth
that require fresh interpretations
with each new historical and cultural era.
Karl Rahner saw the limits of the philosophy of
Thomas Aquinas because Immanuel Kant
created a Copernican revolution in philosophy
by putting the human knower in the center
instead of Church authority.
Joseph Marechal, a Jesuit like Rahner
then overcame the limits of Kant’s philosophy
by seeing humans as dynamic seekers of knowledge
which includes Church authority (in part).
Bernard Lonergan, still another Jesuit
made a further breakthrough:
a new foundation for truth-seeking as not
“arguing about airy abstractions
but changing the seeker
by conversion of the intellect and emotions.”
Loving God with all your heart and mind.
The Principle and Foundation
of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius
the founder of the Jesuits
is that we are created
to praise/reverence/serve God
and so, save our souls
and everything on Earth is made
to help us attain that end.
In this regard, evolution on Earth
has telos/directionality/purpose:
increasing organization and complexity
which increases differentiation and autonomy
which increases consciousness and love.
The “Cloud of Unknowing” is consciousness
of evolution to “that ultimate spiritual state where
in secret and alone
the believer centers all her/his love on God.”
Intelligent Christian Spirituality 