Anger, grief, and truth are not treated here as abstractions, but as forces that either disorder or restore the soul. In Hermas, patience is set forth as the condition in which the Holy Spirit can dwell freely, while anger—however small—spoils the whole life like bitterness in honey and opens the heart to the angel of iniquity rather than righteousness. Augustine then shows what happens when grief and misplaced love are slowly healed, not by God at first, but by time and friendship—revealing both the comfort and the danger of loves that try to take God’s place. Aquinas finally brings these human struggles into focus by clarifying where truth itself resides: primarily in the intellect, most perfectly in the divine intellect, and secondarily in things insofar as they conform to God’s knowing. Together, these readings move from moral vigilance, to wounded consolation, to metaphysical clarity—showing how the soul must be ordered in patience, healed in love, and grounded in truth to live rightly before God.

Readings:

Hermas, The Shepherd — Commandments 5–6

Augustine, The Confessions — Book 4, Chapter 8 (Section 13)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica — Part 1, Question 16 (Articles 1–4 Combined)

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Restlessness, repentance, and divine knowledge converge today as we move from pastoral command, to personal anguish, to the eternal clarity of God Himself. Hermas confronts the costliness of repentance and the gravity of chastity, insisting that repentance is real, but not cheap or endlessly repeatable. Augustine then opens his wounded soul, describing the unbearable weight of grief and restlessness that drove him from home, revealing what the human heart becomes when it tries to carry itself apart from God. Finally, Aquinas lifts our eyes above human instability altogether, arguing that God’s knowledge does not change, does not grow, and does not depend on human propositions—yet fully encompasses all truth, all time, and all things as their cause. Together, these readings trace a single arc: from human moral struggle, through interior collapse, to the unshakable constancy of divine knowledge and grace.

Readings:

The Shepherd of Hermas — Commandment 4

Augustine, The Confessions — Book 4, Chapter 7 (Sections 12–13)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica — Part 1, Question 14 (Articles 14–16 Combined)

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Faith is tested not only by what we believe, but by whether we trust God when fear, grief, and uncertainty press in from every side. In The Pastor of Hermas, faith is portrayed as the only shield strong enough to endure the coming tribulation, where trust in God—not cleverness or strength—renders the monstrous powerless and turns obedience into life. Augustine, grieving the sudden loss of his closest friend, exposes the deep wound of loving created things as though they were eternal, discovering that tears become sweet only because they cry out toward God, who alone does not perish. Aquinas then brings careful clarity to the question beneath both texts: God knows future contingent things not by forcing them into necessity, but by beholding all moments at once in His eternal present, preserving both divine certainty and human freedom. Together, these readings confront fear, sorrow, and choice at their deepest level, teaching us that faith does not remove contingency or pain, but anchors them securely in the unchanging knowledge and mercy of God.

Readings: The Pastor of Hermas — Book 2, Commandments 1–3

Augustine, The Confessions — Book 4, Chapters 5–6 (Sections 10–11)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica — Part 1, Question 14, Article 13

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