Jaarboek Thomas Instituut 1995 - Thomas Instituut te Utrecht

36 H.W.M. RIKROF
also characterises it, Thomas' epistemology (24, p. 293) implies that
"people can reach reality itself till its deepest levels, but only via
processes of constant observation, reflection and interpretation" (24,
p. 293). If a science concerning human behaviour (including ethics
and ontology) is not founded on this naturalism, either the concrete or
the (brute) facts become absolutized into a normative reality, or the
abstract or the insights become fixed to a quasi-facticity and as such
normative. If Thomas' naturalism is followed both the (political,
ethical, etc.) theory and the (political, ethical etc.) activities have to be
related, in their mutual relation, to the basic data of human existence
(24, p. 294). De Grijs illustrates this point also with a theological
example. Our contact with God requires our thinking about God and
vice versa, otherwise our contact ends in ritualism and ascetism or our
thinking becomes ideological. If we follow Thomas' naturalism our
contact with and our thinking about have to be related, again and
again, also in their mutual relation, to the basic data of God. If this
ongoing process is stopped, theology ends up with unsolvable
dilemma's like Greek thinking over and against Hebrew thinking (24,
p. 294; cf. also De Grijs' discussion with Wiederkehr 37, 353-356). It
seems to me that Thomas' naturalism, the sensitivity for the distinction
between brute facts and basic data it entails and the ongoing process of
observation, reflection and interpretation this calls for, can be noticed
when De Grijs discusses a perennial problem (cf. 24, pp. 290-291)
that in recent times has provoked special interest: power in the church.
4. Church and power
The church is a theme that over the years has occupied De Grijs'
attention. That is not so strange given the situation. According to
Guardini's famous dictum, in this century the church is aroused in the
souls and De Grijs quotes this phrase a few times (40, p. 78, p. 86;
49, p. 270). Vatican II has taken the church as one of its main topics.
And in view of the rapid changes, the stormy developments in the
years after the council and the growing polarisation within the church,
theologians are invited to reflect upon these events. Several articles by
De Grijs, especially earlier ones are due to such an external stimulus
(13, 18, 19, 21). But even without such an invitation, De Grijs
continues to pay attention to the church, perhaps because his