May 15, 2019

The name of Garrigou-Lagrange has long been a byword for a
fusty, rigid Thomism of days gone by, allegedly more concerned with
centuries of accretions built up by scholastic commentators than
with the original teaching of the Angelic Doctor himself. Only in
traditionalist circles was his name still spoken with respect.

But recent years have seen a wider reevaluation of this French
Dominican priest and theologian, and a new translation of his work
The Sense of Mystery: Clarity and Obscurity in the Intellectual
Life shows that Garrigou has been unfairly dismissed as a
purveyor of airless theology.

The translator of this work, Matthew K. Minerd, joins the
podcast to discuss Fr. Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange’s legacy and some
of the book’s central themes. These include mystery from on high
and from below (not only spirit but also matter is mysterious), the
importance of common sense for philosophy, the different senses in
which we use the word “to be”, the supernaturality of faith, and
the eminence of the Deity beyond any of His attributes insofar as
we know and name them by reason.

Through all these topics it becomes abundantly clear that only
by preserving the distinction between natural and supernatural can
theology remain itself.

Links

Buy The Sense of Mystery: Clarity and Obscurity in the
Intellectual Life
http://www.emmausacademic.com/publications/2018/5/18/sense-of-mystery

An excellent article on chastity by Matthew
https://www.hprweb.com/2017/10/on-the-lowly-yet-vital-importance-of-chastity/

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