Customer Reviews

The Spiritual Combat

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Along with The Inmitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, and Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis De Sales, this book ranks as one of the all time classics of Catholic spirituality (and De Sales preferred this book to the Imitation of Christ because of the practical detail to be found in the Spiritual Combat).
I first read this book when I was starting seminary and found it instantly readable and inspiring. Like the Imitation of Christ it consists of many short concise chapters that merit being read and pondered. I would particularly recommend the book to anyone struggling for perfection, and with scrupulosity. The opening 6 chapters give great insights into the whole nature of what Christian perfection means, and how our frequent lapses into sin should not discourage us, but should rather be taken as opportunities for us to grow in our confidence in God and our distrust of ourselves. This is a book to be re-read often through life.

One of the all-time greatest and best-known classics on the strategy for achieving spiritual perfection and salvation. First published in 1589, it was the favorite book of St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Doctor of the Church and master of the spiritual life. He carried a copy in his pocket for 18 years, read from it every day and recommended it to everyone under his direction. Based on the maxim that in the spiritual life one must either "fight or die," it shows how to combat one's passions and vices in order to arrive at victory. Explains how to acquire virtue and how to overcome impurity and sloth. Inspires and instructs today just as it has for 400 years. 240pp. PB. Imprimatur.

Very readible with many insights and practical "how to's" for a Christian's pursuit of spiritual growth. Being 500 years old, it also provides an historical background for more contemporary works, the absence of modern psychological jargon is refreshing. This version is theologically grounded in the Latin church and is the most literal translation. The Orthodox version from St. Vladimir's Press probably more suited to Protestant tastes, is loosly translated for content and embellished for a different school of thought, but tends to lose clarity in comparison. I suggest reading both versions concurrently. For Evangelicals, there are points for contention regardless, though neither invalidate the work's relavance for all Christians who strive after moral purity and virtue.

We are living in a morally corrupt world right now. Our country is moving deeper and deeper into an endless pit of self-destruction. I believed and fell deep into this pit myself. This book gave me the courage and strength to pull myself out of the pit.

Scupoli points out that we are truly in a life or death struggle. Our eternal souls depend on the victory or defeat we face in this life.

Read this book, highlight it, and keep it close by for use in the future.

With faith in God, and in His Church, you will have victory!

This book is onw of the best I have ever read! Those who are serious in growing in holiness will profit from this book. I am reading it a second time because it is packed with so much great information.

If you want to know your enemy...and don't mind realizing some of your greatest battles are coming from within...then read on.

The Spiritual Combat has been changing lives for so many years..and still is today. Before reading this I had heard so much about it. Although I am not Catholic...I am a Christian, and looked very forward to benefiting spiritually from it's contents. This book has so greatly EXCEEDED my expectations...it is a book I will likely read many times over in my life time. Christ has granted brother Scupoli such divine wisdom and insight into the struggles each follower of Christ faces living in this world. I would have certainly given the book 5 instead of 4 stars, however I deducted one star only to point out that it can be a difficult read for the modern reader. I am not used to hearing Mary being addressed as the "Queen of Heaven" etc but these things can simply be overlooked. The book is also difficult to fully grasp at times because it has so much depth to it and the language used is very poetic and in some cases words are used that are not even familiar or used today.
It is a beautiful piece of work and should be in every follower of Christ's library who is serious about weeding out sin...and all the hidden vices of man's own heart. With all it's spiritual insight...can become a useful tool in the believers life... and an inspiration to press on to greater purity & holiness!

This book lacks no clarity in how to make progress in the spiritual life. The author focuses the book on increasing in the Love of Christ, fighting vice and growing in virtue.

Its directness and short chapters make for an excellent book to read daily. Other excellent spiritual treaties such as Saint John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent (The Classics of Western Spirituality) will take time to point out the errors in other ascetics teachings. Dom Lorenzo Scupoli in the Spiritual Combat spends more time focusing on the common pitfalls that people fall into and remedies for those problems, you will not find so much a contrast between bad ideas of other specific authors but of general mistakes people make in their spiritual lives.

There are also two short essays in the back of the book as well that flow so neatly that you could mistake them for the original book but they are very topic specific.

So if you liked Imitation of Christ or you are looking for a book that can be easily divided up into short readings for mediation this is an excellent book.