Asceticism Made Simple

                                
                                         Flixster


I have been reading a really good book called The Spiritual Combat. It is a classic of Catholic Christian asceticism. Originally published in 1589, it is still available online, in print and for your Kindle through Amazon. It is said to have been a favorite of St. Francis de Sales who carried around a copy on his person. 
In a nutshell, the book says there are forces of evil that want to corrupt you, and if you are going to resist these forces, you have to come to terms with who you are. The language may seem archaic, and there is definitely a different psychological model at work here than you might encounter from Dr. Phil. The goal of the book is spiritual perfection, that is, total conformity to God's will.

The very first step toward spiritual perfection is to acknowledge that we are sinners, incapable of any good apart from God. That's harsh sounding language, the kind that makes non-believers roll their eyes, and in fact it makes many Catholics roll their eyes. In a culture that worships self-image and believes in entitlement, this concept is anathema.

But it is really only a matter of semantics. To understand what is meant by being a sinner, we simply need to reference a more recent philosophical source. Saint Dirty Harry Callahan was able to take the old ideas and make them relevant to a new generation when he stated a man's got to know his limitations. Acknowledging our sinfulness is not simply about guilt or past offenses, it's about knowing what we are and are not capable of, being realistic about how we will probably respond to specific situations. When my spouse needs all of my attention, how many of my own interests (jobs, friends, habits) can I set aside to attend to him/her? Know anybody whose job ruined their marriage?


As far as being incapable of any good apart from God, well, I suppose that could be endlessly debated. There are good people who are good and have a very different understanding of God than I do, and some good people who see no reason to believe there is a God. I believe that we are incapable of good apart from God because God is the source of all goodness. Of course everyone is free to choose their own source of goodness.If you choose some source other than God, just remember the words of St. Dirty Harry,  You’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?