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The Catholic Intellectual Tradition
The C21 Center published these guides to encourage faculty, students, and thinking people everywhere to consider the gift of the Catholic tradition and to enter actively into the conversation.
What is the CIT?
The CIT is forged by a deep partnership between faith and reason, as if two sides of the same coin. It reflects the conviction that rational people need to understand their faith for it to be credible. Likewise, in-depth reasoning leads to questions of ultimacy that encourage a faith response. However, for any of us in the everyday of life, this faith/reason partnership of CIT coalesces most intensely around momentous questions about ourselves like 鈥淲here do we come from?鈥�; 鈥淲ho or what are we?鈥�; and 鈥淲here are we going?鈥� Responding to such ultimate issues calls for faith and reason working together, and at times, perhaps in fruitful tension.
Sacramental Principle
Perhaps the most defining feature of a Catholic outlook on life in the world is the sacramental principle. While it can be described in many ways, it comes down to an attitude that sees the more in the midst of the ordinary, the ultimate in the created order. There is always 鈥渕ore than meets the eye鈥� and it is God鈥檚 presence and effective love at work鈥攚hat we mean by 鈥済race.鈥� This sacramental principle shapes the Catholic intellectual tradition by encouraging peoples鈥� in-depth look at everything, with a rigorous examination of reality. The more we can 鈥渟ee through what is there鈥� the more we recognize that all creation reflects and is held in existence by God鈥檚 love.