Miłość jako forma poznania prawdy o Bożej Opatrzności

Abstract

Announcing His encyclical – Deus caritas est (25 January 2006) – the Holy Father Benedict XVI indicated, in a sense, the direction of contemporary theological reflection should take. The key of love which was adopted in the Papal message on God and His reference to the entire creation allows deeper and deeper penetration into unutterable mysteries of our faith. Furthermore, the æading of the encyclical Deus caritas est strengthens our conviction that the very love is a means of discovering God and the whole meaning of His Revelation. The Holy Father puts it in the following manner: „Indeed, God is visible in a number of ways. (And because) He loves us, he makes us see and experience his love, and since he has «loved us first», love can also blossom as a response within us” (No. 17). „God is love” (1 John 4, 16) – this constitutes the fundamental message of the Divine Revelation, and at the same time, the fundamental truth about God and His reference to the entire creation. This love-filled concern of God for the whole world and leading it to the ultimate goal is in theology defined with the term Divine Providence. Hence, is it not justifiable that amongst us, believers in Christ, love should become more and more the means of discovering the Divine Providence, since love itself is the essential content of this truth? This present study is an attempt to answer this question. To this end – in the light of the teaching of the Church and theologians» reflections – it first discusses some difficulties which can be run upon by the man in the road to discovering the Divine Providence (solely) by faith. Next, in the light o f the presented reasoning, the argumentation justifying the application of the love category in theological searching related to explanation of the truth about the Divine Providence is analyzed. The study shows love as truly and exceptionally effective means of discovering the Divine Providence being the plan of love.