Franciscan Renewal Center | Scottsdale, AZ
Schedule:
Begins with Vespers at 5pm on Friday, April 16th
Concludes with check-out at 1:30pm on Sunday, April 18th
Presenters:
Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P. (Dominican House of Studies)
Br. John Winkowitsch, O.P. (St. Raymond Church, Menlo Park, CA)
Fr. Ephrem Reese, O.P. (Thomistic Institute)
Conference Titles: 1. Does God Exist? A Good Question ||| 2. Knowing the Unknown God ||| 3. The Light of Reason and the Light of Faith ||| 4. God's Knowledge and Ours ||| 5. The Mind of Christ: The Incarnation and the Mediation of Knowledge
Description:
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’” (Ps. 14:1). We know, both from experience and from divine revelation, that some do not know God. But does anyone really know God? When the Apostle Paul told the Athenians that the Unknown God they worshiped was the God of Israel, revealed in Jesus Christ, what did he mean? One might argue that our faith does not lead to knowledge. Immanuel Kant, for one, denied knowledge about God in order to make room for faith. Whether or not we believe in God, what can we really know about him?
St. Thomas Aquinas dared to ask, not only “who is God,” but also: “what is God?” God’s own knowledge brought creation into being, and even what we know about creatures depends on their being known, first, by the Creator. God gives us knowledge of his creation, and through his creation, even knowledge of Himself. How? Faith is a divine gift, and the gift of knowledge that comes with faith is a spiritual, intellectual sharing in God’s vision of the world. But, in addition to this, God has given us natural powers, that we might come to know him. Aquinas was bold in expressing the natural power of reason to know God, and he says along with the prophet Isaiah: “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things” (Is. 40:26).
This retreat will have lectures and discussions framed by the traditional elements of a retreat (Mass, adoration, Divine Office, etc.). This event is primarily for students connected with Thomistic Institute chapters, but is open to other students and young adults who express interest.
For more information, contact Fr. Ephrem Reese, O.P., at emreese@dhs.edu.