The Particular Challenge of Theology
Continuing from where we left off in Part I, we begin by noting that it should be evident, from what was said there, that the study of theology is the study of matters that we cannot “prove,” for example, in the manner of mathematical proofs, because these matters are above our nature; we do not discover them, we can only receive them and accept them, which we do on “the authority of God himself who reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived” (CCC 156). This presents a challenge to our intellects, for we are utterly incapable of directly ascertaining the truth of Divine Revelation; the knowledge contained therein is entirely beyond the access of unassisted human reason.
The challenge, then, is that in the natural order, we believe by knowing, whereas, in the supernatural order, we know by believing. In the natural order we study the artifacts of nature and determine a truth of nature, such as the freezing point of water, or the speed of light, and this process is very natural to us. In the supernatural order the process is the reverse, and it is not natural to us, though it is not contrary to our nature. The solution to this challenge is repentance.
An Attitude of Repentance
At the beginning of Jesus’ public teaching, according to the Gospel of Mark, He said: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15). Notice the order, “repent and believe”; it is not arbitrary, for one who completely lacks repentance for his sins is simply incapable of believing what God has revealed. St. Paul states this truth explicitly when he contrasts the “unspiritual man” (i.e., the “carnal” man who has given himself over to the sins of evil human desires) with the spiritual man (i.e., the one who has set his sights on doing the will of God): “The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14). Hence, we know by way of revelation that one’s ability to know and understand what God has revealed is proportional to one’s state of repentance. This is why the greatest theologians the Church has known are also among the holiest people the Church has known. The very long list of these theologians includes such well-known luminaries as Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose, Bonaventure, Scotus, Irenaeus, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Francis de Sales.
What, then, do we mean by repentance? In short, it is a deliberate turning away from sin. As defined by the Council of Trent, it is “a sorrow and detestation for sin committed, with a purpose of sinning no more” (Catechism of the Council of Trent, The First Part of Penance). The importance of repentance cannot be overstated, for not only is progress in theological studies dependent upon it, but our salvation itself is dependent upon it. There is, in fact, only one sin that can keep us out of heaven, the “unforgiveable” sin spoken of in Matthew’s Gospel: “Whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mt 12:32). That sin is final impenitence, which is the refusal to respond to the grace of conversion that calls us to repentance all the way to the moment of death.
In Summary
The tools of theology, then, are Scripture and Tradition, the Church’s Liturgy, especially the Mass, prayer, and spiritual reading of both Scripture and the writings of the saints. The one who studies theology will do well to incorporate the judicious use of these tools into his daily life. But, in doing so, one must not forget the importance of an ongoing attitude of repentance. We can take for our model the tax collector in Luke’s Gospel, who “standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” (Luke 18:13). With these things in mind, let us begin our study of theology.
Theology and Sanity 