In today’s reading from Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 48, Article 5, Aquinas addresses a fundamental division: is evil best understood as pain and fault? His answer not only affirms this twofold distinction—it anchors it in the very nature of good itself. Fault is evil that comes from the will turning away from the good, while pain is evil suffered as a consequence of that turning. Together, they make up every form of evil we experience. This theological clarity from Aquinas dovetails beautifully with Augustine’s own struggle in Confessions, helping us see that even in suffering, there can be justice, and in fault, a call to return.
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