Thought for the Day – 9 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
The First Two Weapons
of the Spiritual Combat
I: Distrust of Self (Diffidence) FOUR METHODS,
“I, therefore, set before you FOUR METHODS, by the use of which, in dependence always on Divine grace, you may acquire this gift. …”
- The FIRST is, to KNOW and consider your own vileness and nothingness and your inability, of yourself, to do any good, by which to merit an entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.
- The SECOND is, CONTINUALLY to ASK such knowledge of the Lord in fervent and humble prayer; for it is His gift. And in order to reach its attainment, we must look upon ourselves, not only as destitute thereof, but as of ourselves incapable of acquiring it.
Present yourself, therefore, continually before the Divine Majesty, with an assured faith that He is willing, of His great goodness, to grant your petition; wait patiently, all the time which His Providence appoints and without doubt, you shalt obtain it. - The THIRD is, to stand in FEAR of your own judgement about yourself, of your strong inclination to sin, of the countless hosts of enemies against whom you are incapable of making the slightest resistance, of their long practice in open warfare and secret stratagem, of their transformations into Angels of Light and of the innumerable arts and obstacles which they secretly spread for us, even in the very way of holiness.
- The FOURTH is, whenever you are OVERTAKEN by any FAULT, to look more deeply into yourself and, more keenly, feel your absolute and utter weakness – for to this end did God permit your fall that, warned by His inspiration and illumined by a clearer Light than before, you may come to know yourself and learn to despise yourself as a thing unutterably vile and be, therefore, also willing to be so accounted and despised by others.
For without this willingness, there can be no holy self-distrust which is founded on TRUE HUMILITY and experimental SELF-KNOWLEDGE. - This self-knowledge is clearly needful to all who desire to be united to the Supreme Light and Uncreated Truth and the Divine Clemency, often makes use of the fall of proud and presumptuous men to lead to Itself; justly suffering them to fall into some faults which they trusted to avoid, by their own strength that they may learn to know and absolutely distrust themselves.
Our Lord is not, however, wont to use so severe a method, until those more gracious means of which we have before spoken have failed to work the cure designed by His Divine Mercy.
He permits a man to fall, more or less deeply, in proportion to his pride and self-esteem; so that if there were no presumption (as in the case of the Blessed Virgin Mary), there would be no fall.
Therefore, whenever you shall fall, take refuge at once in humble self-knowledge and beseech the Lord, with urgent entreaties to give you Light — truly to know yourself and entire self-distrust lest you should fall again, perhaps into deeper perdition!”
Dom Lorenzo Scupoli
PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/01/08/thought-for-the-day-8-january-i-distrust-of-self/
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