Towards the end of last year, the International Theological Commission submitted a “study of the theme of the status of theology”: Theology Today: Perspectives, Principles and Criteria. Early this year, after approval by William Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the study was officially published.

As in all things, the task of the Commission is that of helping the Holy See and primarily the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in examining doctrinal questions of major importance.

In general, the purpose of this study is as follows:

The years following the Second Vatican Council have been extremely productive for Catholic theology. There have been new theological voices, especially those of laymen and women; theologies from new cultural contexts, particularly Latin America, Africa and Asia; new themes for reflection, such as peace, justice, liberation, ecology and bioethics; deeper treatments of former themes, thanks to renewal in biblical, liturgical, patristic and medieval studies; and new venues for reflection, such as ecumenical, inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue. These are fundamentally positive developments… However, this period has also seen a certain fragmentation of theology… The question arises, therefore, as to what characterises Catholic theology and gives it, in and through its many forms, a clear sense of identity in its engagement with the world of today.

Most of the document only treats implicitly of contemplation and/or contemplative life. There are some passages where the focus becomes explicit. I want to highlight a few.

First, the Commission discusses the difference between “doing theology” (“theological wisdom”) and “mystical wisdom”:

This supernatural Christian wisdom, which transcends the purely human wisdom of philosophy, takes two forms which sustain one another but should not be confused: theological wisdom and mystical wisdom.

What the Commission calls “mystical wisdom” is what we could call “contemplation” or “suffering divine things”, passio divinorum, pati divina:

Mystical wisdom or ‘the knowledge of the saints’ is a gift of the Holy Spirit which comes from union with God in love. Love, in fact, creates an affective connaturality between the human being and God, who allows spiritual persons to know and even suffer things divine (pati divina), actually experiencing them in their lives. This is a non-conceptual knowledge, often expressed in poetry. It leads to contemplation and personal union with God in peace and silence.

It is worthwhile noting that the Commission identifies theology as a (nearly) necessary support for “mystical wisdom”:

The intellectual contemplation which results from the rational labour of the theologian is thus truly a wisdom… Theological wisdom and mystical wisdom are formally distinct and it is important not to confuse them. Mystical wisdom is never a substitute for theological wisdom…

The example given is that Saint Teresa told her Carmelite nuns to seek the advice of theologians. It’s true that we do not all have the full ability to put things into words like theologians. As the Commission says,

Theologians have received a particular calling to service in the body of Christ.

As part of the Church, they are essential. We should listen. Ideally, even if we cannot make theological works ourselves but if we can understand them, these works should lead us to “theological wisdom”, which is really a contemplation or a wisdom in its own right and something for which to express thanks to God. It will also strengthen our “mystical wisdom”.

In addition, I’d note that the Commission chose to include an explicit discussion of a “union with God in love”. In its own words, this makes contemplation a part of “engagement with the world of today”.