Summary: Mercy over vengeance, modesty over spectacle, and habits that aim the soul—Augustine urges the proconsul Donatus to restrain violence and seek repentance rather than executions; Clement exposes the vanity of mixed baths and the burden of luxury, calling believers to travel light with self-help and simplicity; and Aquinas explains how habits are distinguished in the soul, ordering our powers toward the good under reason. (Romans 13:1; Matthew 5:44; Matthew 5:28; John 1:3; Proverbs 13:8; Matthew 7:17)

Readings: Augustine, Letter 100 (To Donatus, A.D. 409)

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 3, Chapters 5–7 — Behaviour in the Baths and the Discipline of Frugality

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 54 (Combined articles—The Distinction of Habits)

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