Today’s readings explore the mystery of the soul’s essence, the nature of memory, and the distortion of truth. Aquinas begins with a crucial distinction: the soul’s powers—like understanding, remembering, and willing—are not the same as its essence; they flow from what the soul is but are not identical to it. Augustine then reflects on how memory retains joy, sorrow, fear, and desire—not by feeling them again, but by storing their impressions. Even while joyful, one can recall sorrow; the memory contains the emotions without becoming emotional. Finally, Irenaeus exposes the clever manipulations of Scripture by the Gnostics, who construct their heresies from fragments of biblical language, much like someone building a false narrative out of scattered lines from Homer. But when Scripture is returned to its proper context, the illusion vanishes, and what remains is the Word made flesh—Jesus Christ—not some imagined aeon. These readings remind us that theology must be grounded in clarity of thought, honesty of memory, and fidelity to the apostolic proclamation.

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