Common Truths: New Perspectives on Natural Law

tially an invitation to reflect on the principles and realities of God and human nature.

Veritatis Splendor ought to prompt us all, regardless of creed, to reflect on who and what we are, why we are here, and what are the limits on the actions of ourselves and of the state. In the third chapter of Veritatis, as described by Cardinal Ratzinger,

[t]he Pope shows here that "at the heart of the issue of culture we find the moral sense"; in the face of social and economic injustices and political corruption, he speaks of "the acute sense of the need for a radical personal and social renewal," which alone is "capable of ensuring justice solidarity, honesty and openness" (No. 98). The text reveals the intellectual foundation of totalitarianism to consist in "the denial of truth in the objective sense" (No. 99), and indicates the way to overcoming it." ³³

The failure of the Enlightenment, in its effort to achieve freedom apart from the truth of Christ is so clear that a radical reorientation is required. The words of John Paul II, as Rev. Chinn put it, "provide renewed hope for a confused world." Some describe our time as a "post- Christian" era. But Veritatis Splendor indicates instead that this is a "pre-Christian" era. This important document points the way to the future, which must be built on the recovery of truth, including the natural law, which is an aspect of that truth. It should call us to study and prayer.

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