When holiness is misunderstood, it becomes dangerous. Augustine warns against rewarding disobedience among monks who abandon their vows, reminding us that spiritual office must never be treated as an escape from discipline but as its reward (Letter LXI). Clement of Alexandria explores the virtue of temperance, using the image of wine and water to symbolize how the Word and Spirit mingle in us—wine must be used rightly, not worshiped as pleasure itself (The Instructor, Book 2, Chapter 2). Aquinas completes the triad with his reflection on courage, showing that true bravery begins strong but steadies under trial, seeking not danger itself but the good that danger protects (Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Question 45, Article 4). Together, they reveal that strength without order—and desire without restraint—quickly becomes ruin.

Readings:

Augustine, Letters, LXI

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 2, Chapter 2

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Question 45, Article 4

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