In today’s readings, we see how curiosity, weakness, and identity each expose the soul’s struggle and God’s design. Irenaeus dismantles the false teachings of the Gnostics—those who claim we must experience every sin to be perfected, or that souls pass from body to body—and reaffirms that we are created uniquely, not recycled or fragmented. Augustine reflects on the thousand tiny distractions that disrupt our prayers and direct our hearts away from God, reminding us that even flies and lizards can reveal the shallowness of our attention. And Aquinas helps us see the wisdom behind the human form itself, not as a failed design but as a deliberate vessel suited to the soul’s higher calling—made for reason, humility, and worship, not power or speed (Psalm 148:5–6; Genesis 2:7; Matthew 13:43).

Readings:

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 2, Chapters 31–35

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 35 (Section 57)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 91, Article 3

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