Thought for the Day – 2 February – Of the Way to Resist the Impulses of Sense (Part Two)

Thought for the Day – 2 February – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

The Third Weapon
of the Spiritual Combat

XIII: … Of the Way to Resist the Impulses of Sense
and of the Acts to be Performed by the Will
in order to Acquire Habits of Virtue (Part Two)

“Suppose you are assailed by feelings of impatience.
Look carefully into yourself and you will find that these feelings are constantly directed against the superior will, in order to win its consent.

Now then, begin the first exercise and by repeated acts of the will, do all in your power to stifle each feeling, as it arises that your will may not consent to it.
And never desist from this, until, wearied unto death, your enemy yields himself vanquished.
But see here the malice of the devil!
When he perceives that we resist the first movements of any passion, not only does he desist from exciting them but when excited, he endeavours, for the time, to allay them, lest, by the exercise of resistance to the passion, we should acquire the habit of the opposite virtue.
He would fain also betray us into the snares of pride and vainglory, by subtly insinuating to us that, like valiant soldiers, we have quickly trampled down our enemies.

Proceed, therefore, to the second conflict, recalling and exciting within yourself those thoughts which tempted you to impatience, until they sensibly affect you.
Then set yourself to repress every such feeling with a stronger will and more earnest endeavour than before.
And because, however strenuously we have resisted our enemies, from a sense of duty and a desire to please God, we are still in danger, unless we hold them in perfect detestation, of being one day overcome, attack them again even a third time and repel them, not with repugnance only but with indignation, until they have become hateful and abominable in your sight.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/01/25/thought-for-the-day-25-january-of-the-way-to-resist-the-impulses-of-sense-part-one/