The Shepherd of Hermas brings his vision of the willow tree to completion: every branch, from the withered to the flourishing, reveals a soul’s condition before God. Some repent and live; others harden themselves and die. Yet the Shepherd insists—repentance remains open to all who turn in time. Augustine then teaches that when we see the goodness of creation, it is God Himself who sees through us, for only His Spirit allows us to love what He has made without mistaking the gift for the Giver. Finally, Aquinas explains that all sorrow is born of love. We grieve not because love fails, but because love has been deprived of its object. The deeper the love, the deeper the pain—and the greater the invitation to hope in the One whose goodness never fades.

Readings:

The Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 8, Chapters 6–11

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 13, Chapter 31

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 36, Article 1

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