‘This War Is Unavoidable, and You Must Either Fight or Die’ – Excerpt From Lorenzo Scupoli’s ‘The Spiritual Warfare’
Katáxiros:
– 11 October 2024 –
Katáxiros:
Fr. Lorenzo Scupoli was a Venetian priest who lived from about 1530 to 1610. He became a priest in 1577, but in 1581, he was accused of an “atrocious crime” for which he served a year in a Roman prison and was defrocked. Scupoli offered no defense or explanation on his own behalf, then or later, and the supposed crime remains a mystery. The Spiritual Warfare first appeared in 1589 under anonymous authorship and immediately gained popularity; Scupoli’s authorship was only revealed after his death.
Based on much of the content of The Spiritual Warfare, one can infer that Scupoli suffered under the trials of false—or at least exaggerated—accusations, but he accepted these struggles without defense as part of his spiritual journey, and he expressed no bitterness over them. He was determined to fight for the Faith until the very end, even if it took his entire life.
The Roman Catholic Church finally relieved Scupoli’s sentence in 1610, allowing him to once again serve Mass. One can only imagine his relief in his old age at this personal miracle, after so many years of struggle, before the Lord took him home in November that same year.
The Spiritual Warfare helped many a saint through their spiritual struggles over the centuries, and the book was translated into dozens of languages. In the 18th century, St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain translated the book into Greek while making changes for Orthodox Christian readers and adding more quotes from the Bible and Church Fathers. St. Theophan the Recluse further revised the work in the 19th century. These latter versions include Lorenzo Scupoli’s The Path to Paradise, and the combined volume was published as Unseen Warfare.
The following excerpt is taken from an English translation of Scupoli’s original work. While the version from Unseen Warfare is unquestionably holy and valuable, of course, it lacks the succinctness and raw energy of the translation taken directly from the original. It’s only my opinion, but there is a very good reason that The Spiritual Warfare took the faithful by storm overnight in its original form and has proven its incalculable worth over the centuries.
Excerpt from The Spiritual Warfare, by Fr. Lorenzo Scupoli (1589)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Further Advice on How to Fight Skillfully. The Enemies We are to Engage, and the Courage Necessary to Fight Them.
You have seen the conduct that must be observed to gain the victory over self, and to attain the necessary virtues. To do this with greater facility and speed we must not be content with exhibiting our courage but a single time. It is necessary to return so often to the battle, particularly when engaged with self-love, that at last we can judge all those our friends from whom we receive the most cruel and mortifying injuries. It frequently happens that where this kind of combat is shirked the victories are harder, very imperfect, less frequent, and soon lost again.
Fight, therefore, with great determination. Do not let the weakness of your nature be an excuse. If your strength fails you, ask more from God. He will not refuse your request. Consider this—if the fury of your enemies is great, and their numbers overwhelming, the love which God holds for you is infinitely greater. The angel who protects you and the Saints who intercede for you are more numerous.
There are many women who, through these considerations, have baffled the wisdom of the world, conquered the allurements of the flesh, triumphed over the malice of the devil.
Do not, therefore, lose heart, although you may think that it is a difficult task to absorb the attacks of so many enemies, that this warfare will continue your entire lifetime, and that inescapable ruin threatens you on all sides. But remember this—neither the power nor the trickery of your enemies can hurt you without the permission of Him for Whose honor you fight. He delights in this kind of battle and, as far as possible, encourages everyone to engage in it. But He is so far from permitting your enemies to accomplish their evil plans that He will fight on your side and sooner or later crown your endeavors with victory, though the battle may end only with your life.
All He asks of you is that you defend yourself courageously, and that, despite any wounds you may receive, you never lay down your arms or leave the battleground.
You must not shirk your duty. This war is unavoidable, and you must either fight or die. The obstinacy of your enemies is so fierce that peace and arbitration with them is utterly impossible.
Scupoli, Lorenzo, (English translation revised by Lester, William and Mohan, Robert), The Spiritual Combat and A Treatise On Peace of Soul, Westminster, Maryland: The Newman Bookshop, 1945