Sensus Fidei as a Gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church

Abstract

In order to understand the meaning of the sense of faith, it is necessary to distinguishbetween sensus fidei (a person’s ability to believe), sensus fidelium(competent to the Church as congregatio fidelium, and is based on sensus fidei)and consensus fidei – fidelium (points to the unity of the Church, which is expressedin a common confession of faith, credo).Sensus fidei is expressed as intuition or understanding of faith. is meansthe potential ability of a person to hear God’s Word addressed to them andto accept it as God’s Word. is makes it possible for members of the Churchto “grasp” the revelations. is charism or ability to discern was given to thewhole Church by the Holy Spirit. It is one of the ways in which the faithfulbear witness to their faith and discover the tradition of the Church. e historyof the development of dogma shows that God’s people also contributeto a deeper understanding of the truths of faith. Consensus fidei has always hadvalue in Catholic theology. e testimony of God’s people helps to recognisethe revealed truth.e Holy Spirit gives believers the ability to understand the supernaturaltruth revealed by Christ. In this way supernatural reality is becoming increasinglybetter known and expressed more precisely through new language formulations.Sensus fidei is born from the Christian experience of participatingin the life of grace, and leads to a clearer understanding of the mystery thanlogical discourse is able to do. e theology of sensus fidei, stressing the activerole not only of Ecclesia docente, but also discente, has enlivened reflectionson the Church as a “living organism” whose global growth, especially in faith,is realised in the vital function of the whole organism.In order to make a reliable judgement on issues that affect the senseof faith, it is necessary to appeal and to base it on the teaching of the Magisteriumof the Church. Only then the understanding of revelation through sensusfidei can be expressed through linguistic expression in a way that is certain andappropriate to the reality being expressed.Between sensus fidei and the teachings of the Magisterium of the Churchthere are mutual relationships. Sensus fidei needs the Magisterium, similarly theteachings of Magisterium should also take into consideration the fruits of sensus fidelium. We can therefore speak of the interpenetration of these two realities.“Mutual reciprocity” – the coordination between laity and Shepherds of theChurch must lead to many benefits, including the proclamation of revealed truth.Sensus fidei seems to point to people who are above all “poor in spirit.”It is true that God o%en gives to simple people, but deeply believing, the abilityof the “eyes of faith” of supernatural reality. A%er all, Jesus Christ Himself says:I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have covered these thingsfrom the wise and prudent, and revealed them to the simple ones. Yes, Father,because that was your liking (Luke 40:/4). Indeed, a true believer has this wisdom,even without profound theological knowledge. e more intensely a person livesa spiritual experience, the more fruitful he or she will participate in the senseof faith. At times, however, too much detachment of sensus fidei from the needfor systematic intellectual formation is sought. It is necessary to be aware thata person open to the grace, instructed by the teaching of the Magisterium, theteaching of theology, is thus in a more advantageous situation in relation to thecharism of sensus fidei. For man “juxtaposes,” analyses facts and words, andunderstands them according to his own experience and his cognitive abilities,according to the principle: ad modum recipientis recipitur. e Holy Spirithelps to evaluate what is understood. However, it does not miraculously replacea proper understanding of facts and words, which are, a%er all, the subjectof this judgementQ|.Post-conciliar theology places sensus fidei above all in the context of theinfallibility of the whole Church. In addition, it sees it as a charism handeddown from the Holy Spirit to the Church. Considering sensus fidei, as “intuition,”“instinct” or “autonomous judgement” we do not mean irrational aspect.However, theologians emphasise that it is not possible to overestimate sensusfidei, too much, because it has its limitations. It is difficult to define a consensusof faith. e faith of much of God’s people is, unfortunately, weak, limited,prone to one-sidedness, and certainly cannot be the foundation for precisedeliberations, although it does inspire them in a way.