Episode notes
Today’s readings move through memory, divine justice, and the right use of earthly things. Tertullian argues that God cannot be reduced to mere passive goodness stripped of judgment, emotion, and justice. A god who forbids evil yet never punishes it, he says, would ultimately permit the very evil he claims to oppose. Augustine then reflects on the mystery of happiness and memory, asking how we can long so deeply for the happy life unless we somehow already know it within ourselves. Aquinas concludes by examining bodily harm, theft, and property, teaching that created goods exist for the preservation of life and the common good, while also warning that violence, greed, and injustice corrupt both persons and society. Together, these readings ask whether goodness can truly exist apart from truth, justice, and rightly ordered love.
Today’s Readings:
Tertullian — The Five Books Against Marcion, Book 1, Chapters 25–26
Augustine — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 21 (Section 30)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Questions 65–66
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