Tag: frlorenzoscupoli

Posted in MODESTY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 7 January – Of the Four Things Needful in this Conflict

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 7 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

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

Introduction
I: Of the Essence of Christian Perfection –
Of the Struggle Requisite for its Attainment –
And of the Four Things Needful in this Conflict

And of the Four Things Needful in this Conflict

“Now that you see wherein Christian perfection consists and that it requires a continual intense warfare against self, you must provide yourself with four most sure and necessary weapons, in order to secure the palm and gain the victory, in this spiritual combat.
These are:

  • Distrust of Self (Diffidence of ourselves)
  • Trust in God (Confidence in God)
  • Proper use of the faculties of Body and Mind (Exercise) and
  • Prayer.

Of all these, we will, with the Divine assistance, treat clearly and concisely in the following Chapters.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 6 January – Of the Struggle Requisite for the Attainment of Christian Perfection

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 6 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

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

Introduction
I: Of the Essence of Christian Perfection –
Of the Struggle Requisite for its Attainment –
And of the Four Things Needful in this Conflict

Of the Struggle Requisite for its Attainment

“You see, then, very clearly that, as I have said, the spiritual life consists not in these things.
It consists in nothing else but:
the knowledge of the goodness and the greatness of God and of our nothingness and inclination to all evil;
in the love of Him and the hatred of ourselves;
in subjection, not to Him alone but for love of Him, to all His creatures; in entire renunciation of all will of our own and absolute resignation to all His divine pleasure;
and furthermore, willing and doing all this purely for the glory of God and solely to please Him and because He so wills and merits thus to be loved and served.

This is the law of love, impressed by the Hand of the Lord Himself upon the hearts of His faithful servants;
this is the abnegation of self which He requires of us;
this is His sweet yoke and light burden;
this is the obedience to which, by His Voice and His Example, our Master and Redeemer calls us.

In aspiring to such sublime perfection, you will have to do continual violence to yourself by a generous conflict with your own will in all things, great or small, until it be wholly annihilated;
you must prepare yourself, therefore, for the battle with all readiness of mind, for none but brave warriors shall receive the crown!

This is indeed the most difficult of all struggles — for while we strive
against self, self is striving against us and, therefore, is the victory here most glorious and precious in the sight of God!
For if you will set yourself to trample down and exterminate all your
unruly appetites, desires and wishes, even in the smallest and most inconsiderable matters, you will render a greater and more acceptable service to God, than if you should discipline yourself to blood, fast more rigorously than hermits or anchorites of old, or convert millions of souls and yet, voluntarily leave even one of these evils alive within you.
For although the conversion of souls is no doubt more precious to the Lord than the mortification of a fancy, nevertheless, nothing should, in your sight, be of greater account than to will and to do that very thing which the Lord specially demands and requires of you.
And He will infallibly be better pleased that you should watch and labour to mortify your passions, than if, consciously and willfully, leaving but one alive within you, you should serve Him in some other matter of greater importance in itself.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 4 January – Of the Essence of Christian Perfection

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 4 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

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

Introduction
I: Of the Essence of Christian Perfection –
Of the Struggle Requisite for its Attainment –
And of the Four Things Needful in this Conflict

Of the Essence of Christian Perfection, Part One:

“Christian Soul ! Would you attain in Christ, the height of perfection and by a nearer and nearer approach to God, become one spirit with Him?
Before undertaking this greatest and noblest of all imaginable enterprises, you must first learn what constitutes the true and perfect spiritual life.
For many have made it to consist exclusively in austerities, maceration of the flesh, hair-shirts, disciplines, long vigils and fasts and other like bodily hardships and penances.
Others, especially women, fancy they have made great progress therein, if they say many vocal prayers, hear many Masses and long Offices, frequent many Churches, receive many Communions.
Others (and those sometimes among cloistered religious) are persuaded that perfection depends wholly upon punctual attendance in choir, upon silence, solitude and regularity. …

But it is not so indeed; for as some of these are means to acquire grace, others, fruits of grace, they cannot be held to constitute Christian perfection and the true life of grace.
They are unquestionably most powerful means, in the hands of those who use them well and discreetly, of acquiring grace in order to gain strength and vigour against their own sinfulness and weakness, to defend themselves against our common enemies, to supply all those spiritual aids so necessary to all the servants of God and especially to beginners in the spiritual life.

But these external works, although all most holy in themselves, may yet, by the fault of those who use them, as the foundation of their spiritual building, prove a more fatal occasion of ruin than open sins!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in ABOUT - PREFACE - The Spiritual Combat, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 2 January – The Spiritual Combat by Fr Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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!”