What does real spiritual life look like when tested—by fruit, by love, and by the very meaning of life itself? Today’s readings move from discernment to desire to definition: The Shepherd of Hermas teaches us how to distinguish the Spirit of God from empty and deceptive spirits by the character and conduct they produce; Augustine wrestles with the temptation to love passing things rather than the eternal God who alone gives rest to the soul; and Thomas Aquinas draws everything together by showing that God does not merely possess life, but is life itself—unchanging, perfect, and the source of all living things. Together, these texts press a single question upon us: are we animated by what is fleeting, or by the Life that never fades?

Readings:

The Shepherd of Hermas — Commandment 11

Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 4, Chapter 11 (Sections 16–17)

Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 18 (Articles 1–4 Combined)

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