Today, Origen begins his great work On First Principles by refuting the idea that God is corporeal. Drawing from Scripture, he shows that “light,” “fire,” and “spirit” refer not to bodily realities but to God’s incorporeal and incomprehensible nature, who must be worshipped in spirit and truth. Augustine, reflecting on the “earth invisible and formless” of Genesis, sees it as an image for the raw, unshaped matter from which God formed the beauty of the created world. Aquinas asks whether all human sins come from the devil’s temptation, concluding that while the devil was the original corrupter of human nature, our own disordered desires can produce sin even without his prompting (Deuteronomy 4:24; 1 John 1:5; Psalm 36:9; John 4:21–24; Colossians 1:15; Genesis 1:2; John 8:34).

Readings:

Origen, On First Principles, Book 1, Chapter 1

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 12, Chapter 4 (Section 4)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 114, Article 3

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Today we see Irenaeus paint a vivid picture of the resurrection life in the renewed earth, using Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Daniel to show that the saints will reign in a restored creation before entering the new heavens and new earth. Augustine reflects on the formlessness and darkness of the deep before creation, teaching that darkness is simply the absence of light and that before God’s forming there was a shapeless matter without beauty or spirit. Aquinas examines whether tempting is proper to the devil, explaining that God tests to reveal and strengthen virtue, but the devil tempts to lure into sin, making him the chief instigator of evil even when he works through the world, the flesh, or human agents (Isaiah 26:19; Luke 12:37–38; Genesis 22:1).

Readings:

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapters 34–36

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 13, Chapter 3 (Section 3)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 114, Article 2

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In today’s readings, Irenaeus gives a vivid picture of the kingdom before the final judgment—a time when the righteous will rise, inherit the renewed creation, and reign with Christ, fulfilling the promises made to Abraham and the patriarchs (Romans 8:19–21; Matthew 5:5). Augustine reflects on the difficulty of discovering truth, yet clings to God’s promise that those who seek will find, meditating on the mystery of the visible heaven and the “heaven of heavens” that belongs to the Lord alone (Matthew 7:7–8; Psalm 115:16). Thomas Aquinas answers whether men are assailed by demons, affirming that God allows such assaults not for our ruin but for the proving and strengthening of our faith, just as He allowed Job and Peter to be tested (Job 1:12; Luke 22:31–32).

Readings:

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapters 32–33

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 12, Chapters 1–2

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 114, Article 1

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Today’s readings explore the unseen world—where demons deceive, angels protect, and God’s knowledge stands utterly apart from ours. Irenaeus urges caution in speculating about the name of Antichrist, reminding us that many names can match the number 666, but only one will fulfill prophecy. Augustine, overwhelmed by God’s wisdom, contrasts divine omniscience with our fragmented perception of time and truth, pleading for healing from the blindness caused by sin. And Aquinas distills eight articles into one profound truth: each of us is assigned a guardian angel—not as a poetic idea, but as a reality of God’s providential care—who enlightens, protects, prays for, and guides us throughout life (Revelation 13:18; Psalm 145:14; Matthew 18:10).

Readings:

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapters 30–31

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 31 (Section 41)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 113 (Composite of Articles 1–8)

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A flood of fire is coming. Irenaeus connects the ancient patterns—the number of Noah’s years, the idol of Nebuchadnezzar, the six days of creation—to the final trial under Antichrist and the ultimate judgment of the world. Augustine, still wrestling with time, calls us to reject idle speculation and recognize that God created time itself. Aquinas closes the day with a look at why angels are sent—not to abandon heaven, but to carry heaven's mission to us.

Readings:

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapters 28–29

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 30 (Section 40)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 112

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The end is not an event—it’s a division. Irenaeus lays out the final apostasy: the rise of Antichrist, the mark of the beast, and the final judgment of the righteous and the wicked. Augustine then turns from cosmic dread to metaphysical wit, dismantling the classic objection, “What was God doing before creation?” And Thomas Aquinas follows, explaining how angels act on humanity—not by force, but by illumination, imagination, and providential aid.

Readings:

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapters 26–27

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 29 (Section 39) Thomas

Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 111

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A reflection on how divine truth engages us—through prophecy, memory, and spiritual action. Inspired by Irenaeus’s vision of cosmic order under God’s rule, Augustine’s meditation on memory and time, and Aquinas’s insight into angels working within nature, today’s readings invite us into a deeper awareness of how God governs the world, sustains our minds, and moves across creation through spiritual agency.

Readings: Irenaeus of Lyons — Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapters 24–25 Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 38 Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 110: How Angels Act on Bodies

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From cosmic hierarchies to the tick of interior time, today’s trio reveals how true order endures only in obedience: Irenaeus proclaims that the Father and the Word directly crafted creation and, in Christ, crushed the serpent by answering Eden’s disobedience with desert victory; Augustine peers inside the soul and finds that “long” or “short” time exists only in our expectation, attention, and memory; Aquinas confirms that while fallen seraphs still possess higher natures, every loyal angel outranks them in grace, for obedience alone carries authority—just as Michael overthrew Satan (Genesis 3:15; John 1:1-3; Revelation 12:7).

Readings: Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapters 18–20

Augustine, The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 28 (Section 37)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 109, Article 4

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