Through the Church Fathers: November 26

Clement of Alexandria begins with the sanctity of marriage, teaching that the marital act is not for indulgence but for partnership with God in creating and shaping life. To misuse that union, he warns, is to rebel against the order of nature itself. True chastity is not abstinence but purpose—a life in which desire serves reason and reason serves God (Genesis 1:28; 1 Corinthians 6:15–20).

Augustine, writing to Novatus, speaks of a different discipline: the surrender of what we love for the sake of the gospel. His letter reveals the ache of ministry, where obedience sometimes means letting go of comfort and companionship. Yet this sacrifice, he says, yields a greater family in Christ, for what is given up for Him is never truly lost (Matthew 19:29).

Aquinas completes the theme, showing that even the will itself must be trained. Though naturally drawn to the good, the will needs habits—virtues that align desire with reason—so that doing good becomes not struggle, but stability. The moral life, he reminds us, is not spontaneous; it is learned, practiced, and perfected through grace (Philippians 2:13).

Readings:

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 2, Chapter 10 — On the Procreation of Children

Augustine of Hippo, Letter 84 — To Novatus

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 50, Article 5 (Whether any habit is in the will)

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