Saturday, August 28, 2010

Spiritual Combat: Learning to Recover Your Soul's Calmness

Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament
Picture Source

The following is the last spiritual guidance Dom Scupoli gave in Spiritual Combat.

"Take this rule, whenever you fall into a fault, be it great or small, even though you may have committed the same four thousand times in a day, and always voluntarily and with advertency:

- never allow yourself to fall into a state of morose bitterness

- do not be disquieted

- do not waste your time scrutinizing yourself

But at once acknowledge what you have done, and humbly regarding your own weakness, turn lovingly to your God and and say to Him with your lips or with your mind only,

"Lord, I have done this, being what I am, and nothing else could be expected from me, save only these and similar faults, and I would not have stopped where I did, had not Thy goodness lifted me up and continued with me. I give Thee thanks for that from which Thou hast preserved me, and I grieve over that which I have done through not corresponding with Thy grace. Pardon me, and give me grace that I may never offend Thee anymore and may nothing ever separate me from Thee, whom I desire ever to serve and to obey."

Having done this do not waste time in anxious thoughts, imagining that the Lord has not forgiven you. But, in a spirit of faith and repose, continue your exercises, as if you had not fallen at all.

And this you must do, not only once, but a hundred times, if it is needed, and at every moment and with the same confidence and repose the last time as the first...

Thus nothing will come to disturb your progress, and your perseverance, and your onward course, nor will you let time pass away vainly and fruitlessly..."


Spiritual Combat, available at Sophia Press.

7 comments:

  1. Saving this post - love it! I was just reading something similar somewhere...may have been an old 1885 Baltimore Catechism in which we were exhorted to not dwell on the past for this has been done and forgiven, and to not worry for the future because it is out of our hands. We should live faithfully in the present because this is all we have that is certain. It was said more eloquently, but the gist of it stayed with me.

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  2. Wonderful Alexandra!

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  3. What a wonderful reminder! I had read this book a few years ago, but I'm sure it was in haste and I forgot so many of the wonderful lessons within it. Thanks for posting this!

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  4. Boy, I needed this. Thank you.

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  5. So good to be reminded of this most beneficial exercise!! Thanks Esther:~)

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  6. You are welcome Everyone. Glad you found it helpful as much as I did.

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