[T]hose who imagine that they have no need of teachers, or will not be convinced by those who teach them things of good, are sick with the need of knowledge, the mother and the producer of pride.(Paradise of the Holy Fathers, vol. 1, pg. 82)
Who are your teachers?
We all have mentors and experts we turn to for knowledge and insight. Whether we've chosen our mentors and go-to experts consciously and intentionally, or just kind of stumbled into allowing someone to influence our lives, is often another matter.
Our minds our finite. We can't possibly know everything. But the beauty of being members of the human family is our ability to supplement our own ignorance with the knowledge, expertise, and experience that others have acquired.
For example...
I'm no mechanic. To me an engine is nothing more than a hunk of metal, a ton of bolts, and some bits of rubber that all, somehow, fire into motion when gasoline is poured in and a spark is ignited at just the right spot.
The mechanics of a car baffle me.
However, both my dad and my father-in-law are expert mechanics. They can completely strip down an engine and rebuild it as good as new. They've even altered machines in factories to work more efficiently.
So, when I have mechanical issues with my car, I'm faced with a choice. In my pride I can try to figure it out and fix it myself. But I know the end result will be disastrous. So instead I turn to those who have more knowledge and experience with mechanics and either allow them to fix the car for me, or allow them to take the lead in fixing the car while I provide help for whatever they need.
I can either descend into pride by my lack of willingness to admit my ignorance of mechanics, or I can humbly admit my ignorance and seek the guidance of experts.
This holds just as true for the spiritual life as it does for mechanics, economics, environmental issues, or anything else where we have to put our "faith" in the those who have more knowledge or experience than us.
It is right that the soul which leads its life in God should either learn in faith that which it does not know, or should learn wisely that of which it has knowledge; but if it will do neither of these things it is, if it be possible, sick through madness.
(PHF 82)
Knowledge comes through faith
You can only learn something by putting your faith in someone else. Most of us learn science by putting our faith in the scientists. We learn history by putting our faith in historians. We learn math by putting our faith in our mathematicians.
I learned to change the oil in my car by putting my faith in my dad, a trained mechanic.
If we gain knowledge by turning to the experts in various fields, who are the "experts" we should turn to for knowledge of God or our Faith?
If you're like most people, your first reaction is probably to think that you should turn to academic theologians if you want theological knowledge.
However, there's a problem with this...
Contrary to the prevailing opinion of many, theology isn't a purely academic discipline.
Our God isn't a frog that we can dissect and pick apart. He's not a particle that we can observe. Nor is our Faith merely a list of dogmas that we assent to (as important as those dogmas our).
Our God is a trinity of divine Persons. He is a (comm)unity.
You can't really know a person simply by knowing certain facts about a person. If all I knew about my wife were here date of birth, her blood type, her eye and hair color, and other little details about her, no one would say that I really know her. The only way I can claim to know my wife is by spending time with her, by building a community of persons with her.
The same is true of our knowledge of God.
It's important that we know the facts about God - those dogmas that He has revealed about Himself - but that's just the beginning. If we really want to know Him, then we have to enter into relationship with Him.
So who should we turn to when it comes to this relational knowledge of God? Who are the experts that should be guiding us?
You probably know the answer by now...
The saints!
In my previous post I encouraged you to start reading the lives of the saints. Their lives are always a source of inspiration, motivation, and encouragement. We gain insights for our own journey with Christ by looking to those who have made that journey before us.
But we're also blessed that these men and women have often shared with us their "expertise" by leaving behind writings that can guide us on the way.
Do you want deeper insight on what it means that Christ became man for us? Turn to On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius.
Do you want to know who the Holy Spirit is? Check out St. Basil the Great's On the Holy Spirit.
Need some advice on how to better your marriage according to God's plan? Check out St. John Chrysostom's On Marriage and Family Life, and Pope St. John Paul II's Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body.
Not sure what a particular biblical passage means, or perhaps you're not satisfied with the answers being given by modern biblical scholars? The early Church Fathers left us a multitude of biblical commentaries that are the product of both academic study and lives of intense holiness.
The point is, the saints - both their lives and their writings - ought to be our go-to experts when it comes to theological knowledge and wisdom. They are the ones who've "studied" God, not just as an academic exercise, but as a trinity of living Persons who desire relationship with us.
So, if you're increasingly confused by the sometimes contradictory opinions of various modern-day scholars and academic theologians, know that you have a reliable source you can turn to. As Catholics we have the early Church Fathers and the writings of many great saints (East and West) throughout the Church's history. Pick one or two to "mentor" you, and search their writings for the wisdom you seek.
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