Thought for the Day – 2 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom (Fr) Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
For those times when our old Friend and Spiritual Guide, Antonio Cardinal Bacci’s works have been exhausted, we will start exploring the renowned Spiritual Combat. The intention is not to re-publish the book in its entirety but just to highlight areas of great value to most of us living in the world. Today, I am posting the short introduction to the book.
Preface
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” - 2 Tim 2: 5
“The Spiritual Combat is known as one of the greatest classics in Ascetic Theology, along with the Imitation of Christ. In both cases, the Authors are shrouded in mystery. Several 17th Century editions were published under the name of the Spanish Benedictine, John of Castanzia. Some writers of the Society of Jesus have ascribed the book to the Jesuit, Achilles Gagliardi but most critics, however, consider Fr Lorenzo Scupoli (born Francesco) as the Author of this famous Treatise.
The first known edition was published in Venice in 1589 and contained but 24 Chapters, later editions appeared with more Chapters, so it is possible that the Theatines, or another Religious Order may have been part of the composition, [although this is doubtful, for the style remains the same throughout].
Whatever may be the truth of the problem of the Author, doubt of the actual one or ones, can take nothing away from the value and efficacy of this “golden book” as St Francis de Sales called it. It was “the favourite – the dear book” of this great master of the spiritual life, who, for 18 years, carried, in a pocket, a copy, which he had received from Fr Scupoli in Padua himself. The Saint read some pages of it everyday, entrusted to its supernatural and human wisdom, the guidance of his soul and recommended it to all under his direction.
The purpose of the work is to lead the soul to the summit of spiritual perfection by means of a constant courageous struggle against our evil natures which tend to keep us away from that goal.
The Author was a genius, the kind that can only be inspired by the grace of God and his book is a Catholic treasure and one of the greatest gifts God could have given any age! but most espeically, this benighted age which has losts its appreciation for the kind of simplicity necessary for sanctity!”
Quote/s of the Day – 2 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” and the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus AND of the INFANT of PRAGUE – Acts 4:8-12; Luke 2:21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“His Name was called Jesus …”
Luke 2:21
May We Confess Your Name to the End By St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258)
Good God, may we confess Your Name to the end. May we emerge unmarked and glorious from the traps and darkness of this world. As You have bound us together by charity and peace and as together we have persevered under persecution, so may we also rejoice together in Your heavenly Kingdom. Amen
St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258) Martyr, Bishop of Carthage, Father of the Church
“Wake up then, believer and note what is stated here: “In My Name.” That [Name] is Christ Jesus. Christ signifies King, Jesus signifies Saviour. Therefore, whatever we ask for that would hinder our salvation, we do not ask in our Saviour’s Name and yet, He is our Saviour, not only when He does what we ask but also, when He does not. When He sees us ask anything to the disadvantage of our salvation, He shows Himself our Saviour by not doing it. The physician knows whether what the sick person asks for, is to the advantage or disadvantage of his health. And [the physician] does not allow what would be harmful to him, although the sick person himself, desires it. But the physician looks to his final cure.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace of the Church
“[Jesus] is our only Master, Who must teach us; our only Lord, on Whom we must depend; our only Head, to Whom alone we should belong; our only Model, Whom we should imitate; our only Physician, Who must heal us; our only Shepherd, Who must feed us; our only Way, Who must lead us; our only Truth, Whom we must believe; our only Life, Who must be our life and our sole sufficiency in all things that, in Him, we may have all in All. Except the Name of Jesus, there is no other name given under Heaven, whereby we must be saved and apart from Jesus Christ, God has given us no other foundation of our salvation, our perfection and our glory! ”
St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“Oh Most Sacred Name, Name of peace, Balsam of life, which is the centre of all the sighs, of the most fervent lovers of Jesus. The Sign of those, who truly love Jesus, is to bear Jesus imprinted in the heart and to name often and with devotion, the Most Holy Name of Jesus.”
St Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751)
Transport yourself “in spirit” to the Church in Prague where the original Statue of the Infant still stands and let Jesus help you with your intentions!
This wonderful prayer to the Infant Jesus of Prague is known as the Prayer of Father Cyrillus, (c 1637) truly one of the first champions of the loving little Infant!
Prayer of Fr Cyrillus, to the Beloved and Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague
Jesus, unto Thee I flee, Through Thy Mother praying Thee In my need to succour me. Truly, I believe of Thee God Thou art with strength to shield me; Full of trust, I hope of Thee Thou, Thy grace wilt give to me. All my heart I give to Thee, Therefore, do my sins repent me; From them breaking, I beseech Thee, Jesus, from their bonds to free me. Firm my purpose, is to mend me; Never more will I offend Thee. Wholly unto Thee I give me, Patiently to suffer for Thee, Thee to serve eternally. And my neighbour like to me I will love, for love of Thee. Little Jesus, I beseech Thee, In my need, to succour me, That with Joseph and Mary And the Angels, I may Thee Once enjoy eternally. Amen.
“Oh by Thy Name we shall live in peaceful and fearless anticipation!”
One Minute Reflection – 2 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” and the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus – Acts 4:8-12; Luke 2:21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the Child, His Name was called Jesus, the Name given Him by the Angel, before He was conceived in the womb.” – Luke 2:21
REFLECTION – “The Child is circumcised, He is, now, not only a member of the human race, He is made, today, a member of God’s chosen People. He subjects Himself to this painful ceremony, to this symbol of one devoted to the Divine service, in order that He may fulfil all justice.
He receives, at the same time, His Name–the Name is Jesus and it means a Saviour. A Saviour! Then, He is to save us? Yes and He is to save us by His Blood. Such is the Divine appointment and He has bowed down His will to it. The Incarnate Word is upon the earth in order to offer a Sacrifice and the Sacrifice is begun today. This first shedding of the Blood of the Man-God was sufficient to the fulness and perfection of a Sacrifice but, He is come, to win the heart of the sinner and that heart, is so hard that all the streams of that Precious Blood which flow from the Cross on Calvary, will scarcely make it yield. The drops which were shed today, would have been enough to satisfy the justice of the Eternal Father but not to cure man’s miseries and the Babe’s Heart would not be satisfied to leave us uncured. He came for man’s sake and His love for man, will go to what looks like excess–He will carry out the whole meaning of His dear name–He will be our “Jesus” our Saviour!” – Abbot Dom Prosper Guéranger OSB (1805-1875) (The Circumcision of Our Lord, 1870).
PRAYER – O God, Thou Who by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary, have bestowed upon mankind the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may enjoy the intercession of her, through whom we have been found worthy to receive among us, the Author of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son. Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 2 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” and the Feast of the Most Holy Name and of the Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague
Daily Prayer to the Most Holy Name By St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444) Apostle of the Most Holy Name
Jesus, Name full of glory, grace, love and strength! Thou art the Refuge of those who repent, our Banner of warfare in this life, the Medicine of souls, the Comfort of those who mourn, the Delight of those who believe, the Light of those who preach the true faith, the Wages of those who toil, the Cure of the sick. To Thou, our devotion aspires; by Thee, our prayers are received; we delight in contemplating Thee. O Name of Jesus, Thou art the glory of all the Saints for eternity. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 2 January – Blessed Stephana de Quinzanis OP (1457-1530) Virgin, Dominican Tertiary, Mystic, Stigmatist, Stephana was particularly devoted to the Passion of our Lord and bore the Stigmata of His Passion. At the same time, she experienced spiritual aridity, as well as doubts and temptations. Stephana was well known for her service to the poor. Born in 1457 in Orzinuovi near Brescia in Italy and died on 2 January 1530 in Soncino near Crema in Italy. Also known as – Stefana Quinzani, Stephanie de Quinzanis. Patronage – of Theologians, Beatified on 14 December 1740 by Pope Benedict XIV (cultus confirmed). Her Body is interred at the Church of the Convent of the Dominican Tertiary Sisters Soncino, Cremona, Italy which Stephana had founded and some of her Relics are enshrined in her hometown Parish of .Orzinuovi.
She was born in 1457 in Brescia, Italy, to Lorenzo de Quinzanis and his wife, who were a poor and pious couple. Her father became a member of the Third Order of St Dominic while Stephana was very young. While accompanying him on visits to the Dominican Monastery in nearby Soncino, she met the stigmatist Friar, Blessed Matthew Carrieri, who instructed her in the Catechism.
Bl Matthew told her that she would be his spiritual heiress, a statement she did not understand for many years. She began receiving visions of Dominican Saints from age seven, at which point she made vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. In 1464, Christ appeared to her, accompanied bythe Blessed Virgin Mary and Saints Dominic, Thomas Aquinas and Catherine of Siena, presenting her with a wedding ring, signifying her mystical marriage. Bl Matthew Carrieri died when Stephana was 14 years old and soon after he appeared to her in a vision and she herself received the Stigmata.
Stephana started to work as a servant but she continued in her formation in the Third Order and at age 15, made her profession at the Dominican Priory in Soncino. Her devotion to the poor and sick led her to found a community of Third Order Sisters there. She served as its first Prioress.
Her counsel was sought by many, including St Angela Merici, Foundress of the Ursulines, also Bl Augustine Fangi, as well as her fellow Dominican tertiary and mystic, Bl Osanna of Mantua. In 1497, Stephana participated in various stages of the Passion of Jesus Christ which was attested to by 21 witnesses in a still extant account, written in the vernacular and entitled “Relazione dell’Estasi della Passione – Report of the Ecstasy of the Passion.” Sources state that although Stephana was “plain” she had magnificent hair. Grudging herself this one beauty, she pulled it out by the roots.
Bl Stephana in ecstasy, bust on the Altar dedicated to her, in the Parish Church in Orzinuovi. The Sculphture was created in 1930 by Enrico Biondi
Stephana had a particularly intense devotion to Saint Thomas Aquinas. In fact, to overcome the temptation of thoughts against purity, she once threw herself upon a cartload of thorns in imitation of the Doctor Angelicus. Exhausted from this penance, she prayed to Saint Thomas and, was girded by Angels, as St Thomas had been mystically girded with a cord, which they tied so tightly around her waist that she cried out in pain.
Although she had no formal theological training, she could discuss mystical theology at the most profound level. She is considered a patron saint for theologians. Stephana could read the hearts and minds of the people around her and had the gift of prophesy and of curing illnesses. She lived in a nearly continuous fast. She accurately predicted the date of her own death which occurred from natural causes on 2 January 1530.
Stephana’s tomb became a pilgrimage site almost immediately. Her intercession was often felt in the Convent she had founded, where the Sisters obtained both material and spiritual help through her intercession.
Her cult was popularised by the Dominicans Bartholomeo of Mantua and Battista of Salò but their Latin Vitae (Lives of the Blessed), have been lost and only a later Italian version which combined the two texts has survived.
The Feast of the Infant Jesus of Prague the 16th Century wax-coated wooden Statue of the Child Jesus, holding a globus cruciger (the Orb and Cross) with the right hand being raised in benediction, is of Spanish origin and is just under half a metre in height. It is now located in the Discalced Carmelite Church of Our Lady of Victories in Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic, see the Church at the bottom (one where I have been immensely blessed to attend Holy Mass before the Infant each day for a week some years ago). The Statue is venerated on 2 January, on 14 January and on the first Sunday of May. Our Wonderful Infant: https://anastpaul.com/2023/01/02/saint-of-the-day-2-january-feast-of-the-infant-jesus-of-prague/
Bl Airaldus of Maurienne St Alverius of Agaunum St Asclepius of Limoges St Aspasius of Auch St Baudimius of Auvergne St Blidulf of Bobbio St Dietmar of Prague (Died 982) Bishop St Hortulana of Assisi St Isidore of Antioch St Isidore of Nitri St John Camillus the Good St Macarius of Rome
St Mark the Mute St Maximus of Vienne St Munchin of Limerick Bl Odino of Rot St Paracodius of Vienne St Sebastian of Agaunum St Seiriol Blessed Stephana de Quinzanis OP (1457-1530) Virgin, Dominican Tertiary, Mystic, Stigmatist Bl Sylvester of Troina St Telesphorus, Pope St Theodota St Theopistus St Vincentian of Tulle St Viance of Anjou
Many Martyrs Who Suffered in Rome: There were many Martyrs who suffered in the persecutions of Diocletian for refusing to surrender the holy books. Though we know these atrocities occurred, we do not know the names of the Saints and we honour them as a group. c 303 in Rome, Italy.
Martyrs of Antioch – 5 Saints: A group of Christian soldiers Martyred together for their faith. We know the names of five – Albanus, Macarius, Possessor, Starus and Stratonicus. They were born in Greece and were Martyred in Antioch (modern Antakya, Turkey).
Many Martyrs of Britain: The Christians of Britain appear to have escaped unharmed in the earlier persecutions which afflicted the Church but the cruel edicts of Diocletian were enforced in every corner of the Roman Empire and the faithful inhabitants of this land, whether native Britons or Roman colonists, were called upon to furnish their full number of holy Martyrs and Confessors. The names of few are on record but the British historian, Saint Gildas, after relating the Martyrdom of Saint Alban, tells us, that many others were seized, some put to the most unheard-of tortures and others immediately executed, while not a few hid themselves in forests and the caves of the earth, where they endured a prolonged death until God called them to their reward. The same writer attributes it to the subsequent invasion of the English, then a pagan people, that the recollection of the places, sanctified by these Martyrdoms, has been lost and so little honour paid to their memory. It may be added, that, according to one tradition, a thousand of these Christians were overtaken in their flight near Lichfield and cruelly massacred and that the name of Lichfield, or Field of the Dead, is derived from them.
Martyrs of Ethiopia – 3 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred together for their faith. We know the names of three – Auriga, Claudia and Rutile.
Martyrs of Jerusalem – 2 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred together for their faith. We know the names of two – Stephen and Vitalis.
Martyrs of Lichfield: Many Christians suffered at Lichfield (aka Lyke-field, meaning field of dead bodies), England in the persecutions of Diocletian. Though we know these atrocities occurred, we do not know the names of the Saints and we honour them as a group. Their Martyrdom occurred in 304 at Lichfield, England.
Martyrs of Piacenza: A group of Christians who died together for their faith in the persecutions of Diocletian. No details about them have survived. They were Martyred on the site of Church of Madonna di Campagna, Piacenza, Italy.
Martyrs of Puy – 4 Saints: Missionaries, sent by Saint Fronto of Périgueux to the area of Puy, France. Tortured and Martyred by local pagans. We know the names – Frontasius, Severinus, Severian and Silanus. They were beheaded in Puy (modern Puy-en-Velay), France and buried together in the Church of Notre Dame, Puy-en-Velay by Saint Fronto, their bodies laid out to form a cross.
Martyrs of Syrmium – 7 Saints: Group of Christians Martyred together, date unknown. We know the names of seven – Acutus, Artaxus, Eugenda, Maximianus, Timothy, Tobias and Vitus – but very little else. This occurred in the 3rd or 4th century at Syrmium, Pannonia (modern Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia).
Martyrs of Tomi – 3 Saints: Three brothers, all Christian soldiers, in the Imperial Roman army and all three Martyred in the persecutions of Emperor Licinius Licinianus. We know their names – Argeus, Marcellinus and Narcissus – but little else. They were Martyred in 320 at Tomi, Exinius Pontus, Moesia (modern Constanta, Romania).
AnaStpaul 
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