Through the Church Fathers: March 10

Today we move deeper into The Pastor of Hermas, where the tower, the rock, and the gate are finally explained—and the symbolism becomes unmistakably Christ-centered. The rock is old because the Son of God is older than all creation, a fellow-counselor with the Father in the work of making the world; the gate is new because He was manifested in the last days so that those who receive His holy name might enter the kingdom. No one enters except through Him. The tower is the Church, built of stones that have passed through the gate and been clothed with the strength of the virgins—Faith, Continence, Power, Patience, Simplicity, Innocence, Purity, Cheerfulness, Truth, Understanding, Harmony, and Love. To bear the name of the Son without bearing His power is to stand rejected. Yet there is mercy: those who were seduced by the women in black—Unbelief, Incontinence, Disobedience, Deceit, and their daughters—may return through repentance. The foundation stones are the generations of the righteous, the prophets, the apostles, and teachers, all sealed through water, descending dead and rising alive. Augustine presses the same theme from another angle: knowledge of the heavens without knowledge of God does not bless; to know the Creator and give thanks (Romans 1:21) is true happiness, even if one cannot number the stars (Wisdom 11:20). Aquinas then guards the majesty of that same Son: God cannot make the past not to have been, because contradiction is not a thing; He can do more than He does, though He acts according to eternal wisdom; and He could have created otherwise, though what He has done is not imperfect. Across all three readings, one truth emerges—Christ is the only gate, repentance is real, and blessedness is not found in speculation but in union with Him.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