Through the Church Fathers: January 18

Faith is not preserved by nostalgia but proven when the same Spirit who strengthened the ancients is seen at work in later witnesses, calling the Church to endurance, right desire, and a clearer vision of the good. In The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicity, we hear the Church defend the living power of the Holy Spirit through the testimony of Perpetua herself—her unyielding confession before her father, the tenderness and agony of motherhood in prison, and the vision that taught her suffering, not escape, was the path appointed to her, revealing that what appears terrifying is often the very means by which God perfects His servants. Augustine then reflects on the nature of sin, showing that evil is never loved for its own sake but arises when good things—honor, beauty, friendship, power—are loved out of order, displacing God Himself, who alone is the true sweetness of the soul. Aquinas completes the movement by grounding all of this metaphysically, arguing that every being, insofar as it exists, is good, and that evil is not a substance but a privation of a good that ought to be present, helping us understand how martyrdom, temptation, and suffering can exist without denying God’s goodness, because even what is wounded still depends on the good that remains (Joel 2:28–29; Psalm 73:25–26).Readings:The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicity, Preface and Chapter 1Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 2, Chapter 5 (Section 10)Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 5, Article 3Explore 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 #PerpetuaAndFelicity #Martyrdom #Confessions #SummaTheologica #Goodness #HistoricalTheology