(Ebook) Spiritual Warfare: Fighting the Good Fight by Fr. Vivian Boland OP ISBN B071SJBYHM

(Ebook) Spiritual Warfare: Fighting the Good Fight by Fr. Vivian Boland OP ISBN B071SJBYHM

In 1589 an Italian priest, Lorenzo Scupoli (1530-1610), published a bookcalled Spiritual Combat. In less than twelve months it was being used bySt Francis de Sales, then a young student at Padua. Referring to it as hisspiritual director, Francis treasured this book all his life, reading a passageevery day and the whole book every month. Quickly translated into manylanguages, it joined Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ as one of theclassic manuals of Catholic spirituality. Its success came from its simplicity,its practical character, and the way in which its teaching rang true, forged asit was in the crucible of Fr Scupoli’s personal suffering. John HenryNewman (1801-1890) used it, especially in the years of his conversion, andit helped form the spiritual life of Blessed John XXIII (1881-1963) when hewas a young seminarian at Bergamo. Nicodemos the Hagiorite (1748-1809), one of the editors of the Philokalia, the standard collection ofspiritual writings of Eastern Orthodoxy, adapted it for Orthodox Christians.In 1943 a French Jesuit, Henri de Lubac, wrote an essay called SpiritualWarfare. In this work the future Cardinal identifies the attack on it by theGerman philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche as the greatest contemporarychallenge facing Christianity. This booklet does not pretend to emulate either Scupoli or de Lubac. Allthat is attempted is a survey of the theme of spiritual warfare in the Bible.This is done in four parts: the struggle with ourselves, with powers that are‘not just flesh and blood’, and with God, and a reflection on how theseaspects of Christian spiritual warfare are embraced and resolved in the workof Jesus Christ, our leader and victorious champion.