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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The Word becomes both teacher and physician—Christ instructs by law and prophets, forming us in the divine likeness. Augustine writes to Crispinus, appealing for unity and truth against division; Aquinas turns to love as the hidden cause of fear, showing how love perfects and sanctifies the soul (Psalm 1:1–3; John 14:27; 1 John 4:18).

Readings:

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 1, Chapters 11–12 (“That the Word Instructed by the Law and the Prophets” and “The Instructor Characterized by the Severity and Benignity of Paternal Affection”)

Augustine, Letter 51 to Crispinus

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 43, Article 1 (“Whether Love Is the Cause of Fear”)

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The Word that restrains and heals—the one who threatens sin also saves through mercy. Clement shows Christ’s dual voice of discipline and love; Augustine recalls how unity depends not on uniformity but on charity; and Aquinas explores how daring can either glorify God or defy Him, depending on reason’s rule (Proverbs 8:4–6; Romans 5:3; Matthew 11:28).

Readings:

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 1, Chapter 10 (“That the Same God, by the Same Word, Restrains from Sin by Threatening and Saves by Exhorting”)

Augustine, Letter 54 to Januarius

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 45 (Combined articles—Of Daring, its Nature, Cause, and Moral Character)

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