Thought for the Day – 18 March – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
XXXIII: … Instructions for Mortifying Passions,
to Attain the Necessary Virtues (Part Two)
“And a last 3 points of advice:
+++ 4. Let your whole heart desire nothing, think of nothing, crave nothing, long for nothing but to conquer that passion with which you are struggling and to attain its contrary virtue.
Be this your world, your Heaven, your earth, your whole treasure and all with
the sole view of pleasing God.
Whether eating or fasting, labouring, or resting, watching or sleeping, at home or abroad, whether engaged in devotion or in manual labour, let all be directed to the conquest and extinction of this passion and, to the attainment of the contrary virtue.
+++ 5. Wage unceasing war against earthly pleasures and comforts, so will no vice have much power to assail you.
For all vices spring from this one root of pleasure – when this, therefore, is cut away by hatred of self, they lose their strength and power.
For, if with one hand you will try to fight against some particular sin, or pleasure and, with the other dally, with other earthly enjoyments, although their guilt be not mortal but only venial, your battles will be difficult and bloody, your victories infrequent and uncertain.
Keep, therefore, constantly in mind these Divine words:
“He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth
his life in this world keepeth it unto life eternal.” John 12:25.
“Brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die. ”
+++ 6. Lastly, it would be well, it maybe even necessary, for you to make, in the first place, a general Confession, with all the necessary conditions that you may be the better assured of your Lord’s favour, to Whom Alone you must look for all grace and victory!”
Dom Lorenzo Scupoli
AnaStpaul 
Annie, I have been thinking that it might be better if Saint Francis De Sales or,even should be a Saint, Thomas a Kempis. They both offer beautiful instructional writings, Just a thought,
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Yep dear Hughie, I know wonderful Fr Scupoli is an acquired taste but I have had many who have fallen for him in a big way, especially as St Francis de Sales was his avid disciple – which fact, is pretty obvious when you read de Sales. BUT, there are times when he gets a wee bit heavy – I know!
We are more than half way through now Hughie, so I think we should finish. I have done a great deal of Thomas a Kempis in the past but I agree, we should revisit him soon.
Hang in there dearest, not long to go. 🧡🙏🤗
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