When Lies, Fear, and Money Take Control

What happens when false accusations control the Church, fear makes us want to run away, and money quietly takes control of the heart? In today’s readings, Athanasius exposes a campaign of slander in which fabricated evidence, undeserved titles, political intimidation, and threats were used to silence orthodox bishops and condemn innocent men. Augustine then turns inward, confessing that the weight of his sins nearly drove him into isolation, until Christ’s death gave him the courage to cast his burdens upon God and continue serving others. Finally, Aquinas examines 2 opposite disorders involving wealth: covetousness, which clings too tightly to possessions, and prodigality, which gives or spends without wisdom. Together, these readings remind us that truth requires courage, despair must be answered by ...