Through the Church Fathers

Confession, humility, and peace are not abstract virtues but costly acts of love that preserve the life of the Church. Clement of Rome confronts division head-on, calling those who caused strife to repent, submit, and even suffer loss for the sake of unity, grounding his exhortation in Scripture and in the self-sacrificial examples of Moses, Judith, and Esther (Psalms 24:1; 50:14–15; 51:17; Exodus 32:32; Proverbs 1:23–31). This concludes our time in Clement. Augustine reflects on how fear stifles learning while love awakens the soul, showing that discipline heals only when it leads us back to God, not when it hardens the heart (Psalm 118:18; Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:6). Aquinas then clarifies why God’s existence, though self-evident in itself, is not immediately known to us, and must be discerned through His effects rather than assumed by definition (Romans 1:20). Together, these readings teach that truth is not grasped by force, pride, or speculation, but through humility, repentance, and rightly ordered love.Readings:Clement of Rome, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapters 51–59Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 1, Chapters 14 (23)–15 (24)Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 2, Article 1Explore the Project:Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.comPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpattonCredo Courses – https://www.credocourses.comCredo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org#ClementOfRome #Confessions #SummaTheologica #ChurchUnity #Humility #Confession #FaithSeekingUnderstanding

Today’s readings confront division at its root and answer it with love, humility, and depth of meaning in Scripture itself. Clement of Rome warns the Corinthians that removing faithful presbyters and fueling factionalism is not merely disorderly but destructive to the body of Christ, reminding them that schism always arises from pride and is healed only through repentance and love that seeks the common good (Psalm 32:1–2). Augustine of Hippo deepens this diagnosis by confessing how his own early education trained his emotions to weep over fictional tragedies while remaining blind to his own spiritual death, revealing how misdirected loves distort judgment and form habits that must later be unlearned by truth itself (Psalm 78:39). Thomas Aquinas then explains why Scripture itself speaks with layered meaning, using metaphors and multiple senses not to confuse the faithful but to lead finite minds toward infinite truth, grounding all interpretation in the literal sense while allowing God’s single authorship to unfold spiritual depth beyond human design. Read together, these texts show that unity, conversion, and understanding all depend on rightly ordered love—love that listens, submits, and allows God’s Word to speak more deeply than we first expect.Clement of Rome, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapters 44–50Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 1, Chapters 12–13 (Sections 19–22)Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 1, Articles 9–10 (combined)Explore the Project:Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.comPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpattonCredo Courses – https://www.credocourses.comCredo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

Today’s readings trace how God orders His people through Christ, discipline, and reasoned faith. Clement of Rome insists that all blessing, authority, and order flow through Jesus Christ alone, showing how unity in the Church depends on humble submission to God’s appointed structure rather than self-conceit or rivalry (Hebrews 1:3–4; Psalm 110:1). Augustine of Hippo reflects on his childhood love of games and spectacles, confessing that beneath his delight in play and delayed baptism lay a deeper disorder of love, where even parental discipline became an instrument God used to restrain greater harm and preserve his soul amid looming temptation (James 4:4). Thomas Aquinas then clarifies that sacred doctrine does not argue in order to prove faith itself, but reasons faithfully from revealed truths, showing that Christian understanding grows not by replacing authority with logic, but by allowing reason to serve what God has already made known. Together, these readings show that Christian life is formed by Christ’s authority, healed through disciplined love, and strengthened by reasoning that submits to revelation rather than standing above it.Clement of Rome, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapters 36–43Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 1, Chapters 10–11 (Sections 16–18)Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 1, Article 8Explore the Project:Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.comPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpattonCredo Courses – https://www.credocourses.comCredo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

Today’s readings press us into the heart of Christian life by holding faith, humility, and obedience together without confusion or compromise. Clement of Rome reminds us that while we are justified by faith and not by our own works, this faith never excuses sloth, pride, or neglect of righteousness, but instead energizes love, discipline, and harmony within the Church (Psalm 25:9; Isaiah 64:6; Habakkuk 2:4). Augustine reflects on his early years to show how human formation is marked by disordered loves even in childhood, revealing both our dependence on authority and our deep need for grace to rightly order desire, learning, and discipline (Psalm 22:9; Proverbs 22:6). Thomas Aquinas grounds all of this theologically by clarifying that sacred doctrine has God Himself as its object, and that every subject it treats—creation, morality, salvation—is considered only insofar as it comes from God and leads back to Him (Romans 11:36).Readings:Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapters 30–35Augustine, The Confessions, Book 1, Chapters 8–9 (Sections 13–15)Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 1, Article 7Explore the Project:Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.comPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpattonCredo Courses – https://www.credocourses.comCredo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org#ChurchFathers #ClementOfRome #Augustine #Confessions #ThomasAquinas #SummaTheologica #FaithAndWorks #ChristianFormation #HistoricalTheology

In today’s reading, Clement of Rome exhorts the Church to perseverance, humility, and hope in the resurrection, grounding obedience in faith, Scripture, and God’s faithful promises, even pointing to creation itself as a witness to life restored. Augustine of Hippo turns inward, confessing that even infancy bears the mark of disordered desire and praising God as Creator and sustainer of life, whose mercy precedes memory itself. Thomas Aquinas then clarifies that sacred doctrine, though it directs human action, is chiefly speculative and surpasses all other sciences because it knows God through divine revelation and orders every truth toward Him.Readings:Clement of Rome, The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, Chapters 22–31Augustine, The Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 7 (11–12)Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 1 (Articles 4–5, Combined)Explore the Project:Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.comPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpattonCredo Courses – https://www.credocourses.comCredo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org#ChurchFathers #ClementOfRome #Augustine #SummaTheologica #Resurrection #SacredDoctrine