What do we owe to the truth — about doctrine, about ourselves, and about the praise we receive from others? Today's three readings approach that question from remarkably different angles. Athanasius, writing in the voice of Julius of Rome, presses the Eusebians on the one contradiction they cannot escape: they claim to honor councils while systematically dismantling the one council that condemned their allies. Augustine turns the same pressure inward, confessing the subtle danger of craving human approval — the snare of "well done, well done" — and pleading with God to be his glory rather than men's praise. And Thomas Aquinas, drawing from Question 109 of the Secunda Secundae, gives the structural account that underlies both: truthfulness is the virtue by which a person honestly presents himself to God and neighbor, avoiding the twin distortions of boasting and false modesty. Together, these readings ask whether we are willing to let truth cost us something.
Today's Readings:
Athanasius of Alexandria — Apologia Contra Arianos, Part 1, Sections 23–25
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 36 (Section 59)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2 of Part 2, Question 109
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