Pleasure, grief, and the shaping of the will sit at the heart of today’s readings. Clement of Alexandria confronts the culture of indulgence head-on, using the Roman bathhouse as a mirror for the Christian soul’s need for modesty, restraint, and ordered desire. Augustine’s Letter 100 opens a window into the late-antique Church wrestling with conflict, pride, misunderstanding, and the need for patient pastoral wisdom. Aquinas then brings the whole day together by examining the nature of habits — how virtues and vices form, how they govern our choices, and why the soul must be trained toward the good if it hopes to act with clarity and freedom (Galatians 5:22–23).

Readings: Clement of Alexandria — The Instructor, Book 3 (Behavior in the Baths) Augustine — Letter 100 Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 54 (C ...