I can remember the day in my high school Biology class when I first looked through a microscope at a drop of pond water and saw swarms of little creatures like amoebas and paramecia. What a revelation! An ordinary drop of water hosting myriads of otherwise almost invisible life forms!
A microscope enables us to see deeper into the underlying reality of things than our eyes unaided. But, paradoxically, the deeper we look and the more we see, the blinder we can become to the “overlying” reality!
To verify the historicity of a painting, a microscopic analysis of flake of pigment can be decisive, but the microscope is blind to the beauty of the greater reality involved.
The microscopic examination of a small sample of a patient’s blood can alert the doctor to issues affecting the patient’s health—but not to the state of mind and the overall concerns of the patient’s life.
To fully understand a person requires an opposite process (a “macroscopic examination”) embracing his/her birth, development, and history; immediate and extended family, culture, and education; life experience and relationships; hopes and aspirations; successes and failures; etc..
There are a variety of professionals who are specialized in most of these and other ways, but how does one weave together all their varied insights and analyses and get to the “overlying” reality? (Remember the story of the blind men describing an elephant.)
Whether it’s microscopic or “macroscopic”, both are necessary and important for an adequate insight into and explanation of anything and everything.
The situation of philosophers and theologians is similar to that of scientists and physicians. The greater and deeper their insights, no matter how valuable they may be, the harder it may be to focus on the “big picture.”
Take liturgical history for example: The Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) is a first century document that describes what Christians do on the Lord’s day. It calls it Eucharist (Thanksgiving):
Say over the cup: “We give you thanks, Father, for the holy vine of David, your servant, which you made known to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory forever.”
Over the broken bread say: “We give you thanks, Father, for the life and knowledge which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory forever.
As this broken bread scattered on the mountains was gathered and became one, so too, may your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. For the glory and power are yours through Jesus Christ forever.”
This simple “macro” description is very different from the “micro” analysis of the essence of the Eucharist made by Thomas Aquinas explaining transubstantiation.
I heard this classic Thomistic theology echoed in a lovely parish Sunday Mass I recently attended. The Church was crowded, the celebration very beautiful, and everyone fully participating. In his homily, the sincere young priest chose to emphasize that Catholics have something that Protestants lack: “the actual, the very body and blood of Jesus present on the altar.”
Scientists, philosophers, and theologians frequently tend to be great “microscopers,” but that’s not enough; we need great “macroscopers” too.
28 July 2019