Clement reminds us that we are trained not as slaves but as sons. In The Instructor, he calls believers “children,” not because we are ignorant, but because we live by a holy simplicity that loves truth and flees corruption. Augustine, in Letter 15, writes amid the scarcity of paper but not of affection — urging his friend to rise above the passing pleasures of life, to treat wealth as a servant, not a master. And Aquinas teaches that fear itself — when rightly ordered — becomes the soul’s guardian, leading us away from sin toward the safety of God. Together they show that childlike faith is not immaturity but purity — the maturity of those who trust their Father completely (Matthew 18:3).

Readings: Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 1, Chapter 5 Augustine, Letter 15 Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 41, Article 1

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