Faithfulness is learned in ordinary obedience long before it is tested in extraordinary trials. In today’s readings, Polycarp exhorts the Philippians to steadfastness, patience, and moral clarity, reminding the Church that true doctrine is guarded not only by confession, but by prayer, fasting, chastity, and love lived out under pressure. Augustine then reflects on his own youth, exposing the quiet danger of ambition unchecked by holiness, where success in learning masked a heart still untended toward God. Aquinas brings these voices into sharp theological focus by showing that God is not one being among others, nor contained within any category, but stands wholly apart as the source of all being—so that perseverance, repentance, and holiness alike rest not on human order or effort, but on the God who transcends every genus while sustaining every soul.

Readings:

Polycarp of Smyrna, The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians (Chapters 7–14)

Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 2, Chapter 5

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 3, Article 5

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#ChurchFathers #Polycarp #Augustine #Aquinas #EarlyChurch #ChristianFormation #Confessions #SummaTheologica #FaithAndPractice

Here is the podcast description, formatted exactly to your rules and covering the three readings only (Polycarp, Augustine, Aquinas).

The Christian life is shaped by discipline, desire, and the nature of God Himself. Today’s readings move from Polycarp’s pastoral call to endurance and moral vigilance, through Augustine’s anguished confession of disordered love and youthful lust, and finally into Aquinas’s careful distinction between essence and existence in God—where we are reminded that God is not merely one being among others, but Being itself. Together, these readings trace the movement from ethical formation, to interior conversion, to theological clarity, showing how the early Church understood holiness as grounded in both lived obedience and the very simplicity of God’s being (Matthew 24:13; 1 Corinthians 7:32–35; Exodus 3:14).

Readings:

Polycarp, The Epistle to the Philippians, Chapters 6–10

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 2, Chapter 1 (Sections 3–4)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 3, Article 3

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Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com

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#Polycarp #ChurchFathers #Confessions #SummaTheologica #Holiness #SimplicityOfGod #HistoricalTheology

Here we are confronted with three voices speaking from very different moments in the Church’s life, yet circling the same concern: what it means to live rightly before God. Polycarp exhorts the Philippians to faithfulness, moral integrity, and ordered Christian life rooted in obedience and love. Augustine turns inward, confessing the disorder of his youthful desires and tracing how love, when misdirected, fractures the soul. Aquinas then brings theological precision, showing that God Himself is utterly unlike us—not composed, not changeable, not divided—pure act without mixture or limitation. Together, these readings move from pastoral instruction, to personal confession, to metaphysical clarity, helping us see both our need for transformation and the unchanging God toward whom that transformation is directed.

Readings:

Polycarp, The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, Chapters 1–5

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 2, Chapters 1–2 (Sections 1–2)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 3, Article 2

Explore the Project:

Through the Church Fathers https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com

Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton

Credo Courses https://www.credocourses.com

Credo Ministries https://www.credoministries.org

#Polycarp #Augustine #ThomasAquinas #ChurchFathers #SummaTheologica #Confessions #ChristianTheology