Faith & Reason are two wings upon which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of the truth, wrote St. John Paul II in his profound encyclical Fides et Ratio.

It was a great privilege to give a talk to the second cohort of Lumen Forum fellows at the Newman Centre of Toronto, University of Toronto in the Archdiocese of Toronto with CAPP Canada. Brendan Steven and Robin D’Souza are the gifted leaders of this inspiring program.

The initiative is a first of its kind in Canada: a program focused on developing leaders through formation and fellowship. Through a rich curriculum in applied Catholic Social Doctrine and Virtuous Leadership, the forum helps leaders live out a Christian mission in their career and cultural engagement.

I spoke about the interconnectedness of truth, goodness, and beauty, things that we can only fully apprehend through a unification of a belief-infused desiring faculty, and cognitive knowing – faith seeking understanding.

We recognize this deep interconnection when we think more deeply about the degrees of truthfulness, goodness, and beauty in every aspect of life.

A painting is more beautiful when it is done with great skill, when it represents the intentions of the artist, and accurately portrays some aspect of reality, which if done properly, will also communicate something that is in itself good.

A theoretical explanation in math or physics is more truthful when it can explain and predict with great precision, but also when it is simple, when it unifies many disparate explanations and synthesizes knowledge; which, rather than being disjointed, fragmented, and ad hoc, is more beautiful when it has these properties, and it is, of course, a great good for us to know in ways like this.

A practical action like giving a presentation, trying to instruct or lead – you want to do this in a way that is maximally attentive to the needs of the audience, and is in service of them. The output is more morally good, the more that the content of your speech and action is factually and descriptively true, and when the way in which you speak and act is done beautifully with grace, elegance, or humour – whatever the situation demands.

We see quite clearly through these examples that truth, beauty and goodness are connected, and even interchangeable. Reality is more perfectly realized, and participated in, the more that all that we say, do, and produce reflect each of these three transcendental properties of being.

Check out the programs’ scope and content here: https://lumenforum.ca/