EMCAPP Journal 2

63 Christian Psychology My master, a Polish professor of philosophy M. Gogacz, pointed to the personal relationship of faith, which is a re- action of our interior to the manifestation of the existence ( act of being) of the other person in the form of truth. Every real being is above all existence, and it manifests itself by six transcendentale, including one that is truth. The truth of being is its knowability, intelligibility; but in the case of persons it means that you can trust them, give someone faith. Therefore, faith is much more than knowledge. In some sense, it is an affront to the person, when you reduce him or her to knowledge. Likewise, in the case of the relati- onship with God, it is something different to recognize the strength of a cosmic deity, and to trust a Holy Person. So here we agree with Agnes May, and it is an old Christi- an intuition which lies at the foundation of the European culture. With what I do not agree? I find two of these th- reads. One thread relates to a method of building knowledge. Knowledge is a human construct, as Kant recognized. But its source is not our product. That source on being encountered is independent of our influential response of the intellect (intellectus passivus), which in medieval times was known as preconscious knowledge (verbum cordis, conceptus mentis). The initial response of the in- tellect on being met by objective preconscious knowledge always expresses the truth of the being who encounters it. But it is only the beginning, and still preconscious. At this level there are fundamental assumptions of thinking. This is the level at which starts the first principles of ef- ficiency of thinking. If we had an easy and direct access to the intellect on this layer, there would be no disputes and differences. But we do not have. To realize the results obtained, we need to hold that nucleus in an inner and outer conversation, depending on the culture. And that is where there are errors, interpretations, and distortions, especially when we start to think, create knowledge, and draw conclusions. Why do I think this is important? Be- cause it is in a condition of discourse, that we find the only opportunity to meet in the truth received by many people. It is hard work, in the sweat of his brow, that this is the condition of general human culture. My passion for teaching, knowledge creation is based on trust in the rea- sonableness of this process. Finally, you can always come back to reality, check, correct, compare. This ability gives dignity to the human intellect in doubt. „Intellect is the greatest work of the Creator!“ It also allows for an open discussion with those who do not believe, for they can be open to the arguments based on the common experience of reality. I like to „read reality“, because it seems to me that I am a metaphysician. It “seems to me”, because it‘s quite high dignity – to be metaphysician. So finally Kant was wrong, because his individualistic view of intellect led to Idealism, although he was a great philosopher re- ally. The article points to obedience, subordination, as a con- dition of acceptance of Revelation. Yes, in the text of the „Summa Theologica“ of St.. Thomas Aquinas, we find the article in which he wonders what is more important on the road to the truth - reason or will. And despite his intellectualism he states that more important is the will, because you have to want to know the truth, to seek it. In practical terms, this free will decides whether we meet the truth. The second difference involves, I believe, the denomi- nation to which I belong. In the Roman Catholic Chur- ch the source of truth is the community recognized as the mystical body of Christ, even about matters that are absent in the Scriptures. I must admit that I experience this alleged relationship as something uplifting and li- berating. My church recognizes two sources of Revelati- on: Tradition and Scripture. Maybe this is some kind of scandal to our contemporaries (dogmat!), but the truth is rooted in the community. It is important in my perso- nal experience. This is also confirmation of the personal character of truth, celebrated in the community. And finally, a special accent. The author of the artic- le bears the name Agnes. It is the former Roman Saint, considered by many churches, including the Orthodox. She was a martyr for the faith at the time of Emperor Diocletian. I remember the shock I experienced looking at the relic of Her in the Roman church of Santa Agnese in Agone in Piazza Navona and reflections that swept over me as I passed through the catacombs of St. Agnes under the basilica of Santa Agnese fuori le Mura. The well preserved skull of the sacred is very small, because at the time of her martyrdom she was a child! She was only 12 years old... The mighty empire tormented a child who believed the truth and was ready to die for it (for Him!). That is why at time of the feast of Saint Agnese two young lambs are given, and from their wool is ma- nufactured wool pallium, worn by archbishops as a sign of religious faith. Today, we need more witnesses like St. Agnes than Sophists. It was nice when I realized that the text of Agnes May is a kind of confession of faith, in ag- reement with so famous Saint Agnese tradition. I share this belief of sister Agnes May, perhaps adding a pinch of Thomistic rationalism. Krzysztof Wojcieszek, Poland, MA, molecu- lar biology, ethics, MA, Doctor of Humanities - Philosophy, author of many programs and projects of prevention used in Poland.

EMCAPP Journal 2

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