Clement of Alexandria, Augustine’s Letter 84, Aquinas Q50 A5 — Whether Any Habit Is in the Will)

The human soul bends toward what it loves most—Clement warns me not to hide behind displays of wisdom, for the true adornment of the Christian is humility and restraint, even down to the sandals on our feet. Augustine then writes with the gentleness of a bishop and the precision of a theologian, guiding a troubled friend through the tension between action and contemplation—between the outer work of charity and the inward rest of grace. Aquinas closes the day by explaining that the will, too, carries habits just as the intellect does, for we grow into the good not by accident but by steady choosing. Virtue becomes second nature when the will learns to delight in the good itself (Philippians 2:13).

Readings: Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Chapter 12 (“On Shoes”)

Augustine, Letter 84

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 50, Article 5

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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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Temperance, vigilance, and order—the same virtues that shape our waking lives, Clement of Alexandria says, should guide our sleep. When the day ends, the disciple’s rest must not become indulgence. A simple bed, a light meal, and a watchful heart prepare the soul for prayer even in silence. For the Christian, sleep is not escape but renewal—an act of readiness for the next call of God (Luke 12:35–36; 1 Thessalonians 5:7–8).

Augustine carries that same spirit of discipline into the intellect. In his final letter to Jerome, he insists that truth can never be served by deceit, even when the motive seems noble. Scripture alone, he writes, is infallible; all other teachers, himself included, must submit to its judgment. Between these two great minds, the correspondence ends not with victory, but with charity—a model of how love must rule even in disagreement (Galatians 2:11–14; Matthew 5:37).

Aquinas closes the day by defining habit as a quality of the soul—a stable readiness to act well or ill. Virtue, he says, is not momentary enthusiasm but the formed strength of grace and repetition. The same habit that steadies the hand of the craftsman must also shape the heart of the saint (Philippians 2:13).

Readings:

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus), Book 2, Chapter 9 — On Sleep

Augustine of Hippo, Letter 82 — To Jerome, My Brother in Christ

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 49 (Combined articles — Of Habits in General, as to Their Substance)

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Even righteous zeal can burn too hot. Today’s readings confront the peril of a passion that begins as just and ends as blind. In Question 48, Article 3, I weigh whether anger helps or hinders reason—and discover that what begins as a servant soon becomes a tyrant if left unchecked.

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 48, Article 3 (Whether Anger Hinders the Use of Reason)

I consider that anger, in its origin, serves justice by moving the will toward what is right; yet when ungoverned, it blinds judgment and destroys counsel. Virtue lies not in erasing passion but in mastering it—letting reason command the fire without being consumed by it.

Augustine, Letter 81 (recap)

From the peace between Jerome and me, the Church learns that truth without love wounds, and love without truth wanders. Even disputes among the Fathers must bend toward reconciliation, lest zeal become wrath.

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When reputation, rumor, and righteousness collide, faith must hold steady. In Letter 81, Jerome and I exchange words of reconciliation—after long years of tension, we lay down controversy for fellowship. The Church, Augustine reminds us, must seek truth without pride and defend charity above victory.

Augustine, Letter 81 (to Jerome)

Augustine restores the tone of friendship, urging that brothers in Christ trade argument for affection, and that the Church grow stronger not by debate but by communion in truth and peace.

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 48, Article 1 (Of the Cause of Anger)

I reflect on anger’s beginnings: that it springs from reason’s judgment of injustice. Anger is not born of chaos but of a wounded sense of order—and when governed by reason, it can serve the good rather than destroy it.

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Speech, like laughter, measures the soul. Clement of Alexandria commands believers to silence filthy talk, for what leaves the lips can either sanctify or defile (Matthew 12:37). Jerome writes to Augustine from Bethlehem, defending his Hebrew translations and declaring that truth must never yield to custom—a defense of fidelity to the Word itself (John 17:17). Thomas Aquinas completes the triad by teaching that reason must temper anger; another’s defect should awaken mercy more than wrath (Psalm 103:13–14). Together these readings teach restraint of tongue, patience in dispute, and compassion over judgment—the virtues that make truth credible.

Readings:

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 2, Chapter 6

Jerome, Letter 75 to Augustine

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Question 47, Article 4

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Laughter reveals the heart as surely as words do. Clement of Alexandria warns that laughter without measure betrays a soul out of tune, while modest joy reflects reason’s harmony (Ecclesiasticus 21:20). Augustine writes to Jerome with humility, seeking unity in Scripture even amid differing translations—a reminder that the Church’s concord depends on charity as much as accuracy (Romans 14:19). Thomas Aquinas examines anger’s object, teaching that true anger is always directed toward a rational being, not toward things or beasts (Ephesians 4:26). Together they call us to discipline both emotion and intellect under the rule of reason and love.

Readings:

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 2, Chapter 5

Augustine of Hippo, Letter 71 to Jerome

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Question 47, Article 1

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The early Church knew that holiness is harmony—reason, affection, and worship tuned to the same note. Clement teaches that moderation and melody belong together: true music is the soul’s thanksgiving. Augustine’s gentle letter to Jerome captures the art of disagreeing without division, showing that the unity of love outlasts the clash of ideas. And Aquinas explains that anger, rightly understood, is not always sin—it becomes sin when reason no longer holds the reins. From table to temper, the Fathers call us to live in rhythm with divine order.

Readings:

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 2, Chapter 4 – How to Conduct Ourselves at Feasts

Augustine, Letter 67 – To Jerome, My Brother in Christ

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Question 46, Article 8 – Whether the Species of Anger Are Suitably Assigned

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