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Spiritual Combat {Lent Book Series}

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Today the Lent Book Series features Marc Cardaronella. 

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What if I told you that giving up chocolate, or any other food, will not make you truly holy?

I hate to burst your bubble during Lent, but I thought you needed to know.

Of course, fasting and abstinence are part of our Lenten disciplines, and bodily mortifications will always be an important part of Catholic spirituality.

However, according to Fr. Lorenzo Scupoli, focusing solely on fasting and other external sufferings and deprivations will not get you where you want to be. They might even do more harm than good.

So where does real Christian perfection lie and how to you obtain it? That is the subject of Fr. Scupoli’s book, Spiritual Combat: How to Win your Spiritual Battles and Attain Inner Peace. Fr. Scupoli was a Theatine priest during the Counter-Reformation dedicated to renewing the spiritual life of the Church.

Spiritual Combat was very well-known and recognized during this time as a masterpiece of spiritual teaching. It was a favorite of St. Francis de Sales and deeply influenced him. He carried this book in his pocket for 18 years.

The term spiritual combat or spiritual warfare commonly refers to fighting against Satan and/or his demons. You may have heard of deliverance prayers or casting out spirits of oppression in the name of Jesus. In this book, it’s a little bit different. Here the combat is not directly against Satan, but against yourself.

Because of the Fall, we are full of disordered passions and desires. These can lead us astray in so many ways, it’s hard to count. God’s love calls to us. It’s engraved in our hearts, but our hearts are confused. So we have to attack and destroy these wayward desires in order to follow God in truth.

To this end here are the four weapons you need to become a victor in the spiritual conflict. An explanation of these four weapons makes up the major sections of Spiritual Combat.

1. Distrust of Self

Distrust of self is the foundational element in spiritual combat. Without it, you don’t have a chance.

We really don’t have any strength on our own, and yet we convince ourselves that we are completely self-sufficient. We mistakenly think we can take care of any problem on our own. This is a bad idea.

God wants us to see that:

“He alone is the Source of all good, that all virtue and grace descend from Him to us, and that from ourselves nothing can come, not even a good thought that would be worthy of His approval” (p. 13).

 2. Trust in God

Distrust is essential, but it’s not enough.

“There is need to add to it perfect trust in God, in the hope and expectation that He alone will vouchsafe to us every good thing we need: His help and the victory…with the help of our Lord, we may be assured of success at all times, provided that, to obtain His aid, we arm our hearts with a lively confidence in Him” (p. 19).

 3. Spiritual Exercises

This is the largest section of the book. It provides very practical ways to guard your heart, have the right motivation, overcome and resist temptation, turn to God after you sin, and strive for virtue.

 4. Prayer

The final section on prayer discusses the habits necessary to enact all the previous weapons. It’s the glue that holds them together and makes them effective.

“Needful above all is prayer…by means of which we may obtain from our Lord, not only the things already named, but all other good things. For prayer is the means by which we obtain all the graces that rain down upon us from the Divine Fountain of goodness and love. By prayer, if you use it aright, you will put a sword into the hand of God, with which He will fight and conquer for you” (p. 121).

Spiritual Combat is a great exposition of the traditional spirituality of the Church. This is the way Saints are made. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s practical and effective. It’s a serious manual for those who want a powerful spirituality to overcome their temptations and sins.

Consider taking up the challenge and reading this book for Lent. It will open your eyes to the truth of the war going on inside your heart, and give you real tools to win the fight.

I guarantee you’ll never see yourself the same and never simply give up chocolate for Lent again.

Marc Cardaronella is a Catholic writer and speaker living in Champaign, IL. A former Navy pilot, he gave up the fast life for a more rewarding career as a Director of Religious Education. He is currently the father of two young boys and writes about why people believe in Jesus Christ (and why they don’t) on his personal blog. Follow him on Twitter –@MCardaronella and Google+.

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*Marc and I have known each other since both he and my husband Joseph  were both speakers at a local evangelization conference many years ago (the mid to late aughts?).  There was a dinner at a great Italian restaurant (sadly, no longer there) the night before for speakers and spouses. Joseph & I sat with Marc & his lovely wife Shannon. That night, Marc  and Shannon introduced us to the fun and relatively new app called Shazam.  I’m sure you all know about Shazam, but if you don’t go download it–our family uses it all the time to find out what song is playing on the radio.

*Shannon Cardaronella was one of the first “Readers” I featured when I began my column and the “Meet a Reader” feature for The Catholic Post. Reading through this again reminded me how much Shannon and I are  kindred spirits when it comes to books–now I need to find out if she is on GoodReads so we can compare books.

*I had to laugh when I read the first line of Marc’s contribution here–“What if I told you that giving up chocolate, or any other food, will not make you truly holy?”– since I am firmly in the camp of “I.must.give.up.chocolate.for.Lent.” One of the few comments I’ve left on Marc’s blog (though I’m an avid reader) was about that very subject, and how I don’t agree with his view.   I know what people like Marc mean when they say Lent is not just about giving up chocolate, but I personally feel it important to sacrifice for many reasons. Chiefly, I need something tangible that I love to give up and complain about during Lent, in a funny way, that doesn’t make other people miserable (like the year when I gave up caffeine–don’t ask). Yes, I can and do give up or have other spiritual practices no one knows about.  But giving up chocolate is my right as a Catholic and I’m not surrendering it.

*Lest you think I’m negating Marc’s review of Spiritual Combat, know that I’m not.  One of the best and worst things about doing this Lent Book Series is getting to learn about a lot of new or new-to-me  books that are then added to my impossibly long to-read list.  Usually each month I request one or two of the books that each “Meet a Reader” discusses, but Lent for me has been like a six-week long “Meet a Reader” with so many great books to explore.  It’s a bit overwhelming, in a good way.  Spiritual Combat is near the top of the list.

Do you have a favorite book so far in the Lent Book Series?

Time for First Confession Prep {Lent Book Series}

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The Lent Book Series today features Grete Veliz.

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Here we are in the middle of Lent. Have you been to confession?

If you are in 2nd grade at my parish, you’re just getting ready to go to confession for the first time. This year, my eldest child, 8-year-old Maria, is preparing to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist for the first time. While I feel pretty  confident about teaching her about the Sacraments, I was excited to have a new book to help: A Little Book about Confession for Children by Kendra Tierney.  She’s also the blogger behind Catholic All Year.

This well-crafted book is written especially for children (and their parents), and I really appreciate that Mrs. Tierney chooses to explain the different aspects of Confession in simple but not “dumbed-down” language. She knows that children can understand even complicated theological questions, like “How can I know whether a sin is mortal or venial?” especially with a parent by her side to talk it over.

The majority of the book is in question/answer format which my daughter and I read together. The questions were a great starting point for discussion. Since this is our oldest daughter preparing for confession, I haven’t had to teach anyone yet about the why and how of confession before. Mrs. Tierney’s book came at the perfect time for our family. The Catechism and Bible references included could also lead you to further discussion and understanding exactly what our Church says about confession.

Calling on the powerful intercession of the saints might be just what we need in order to prepare for confession. Confession for Children also highlights five saints who have a particular connection to the Sacrament. We can ask for the intercession of these holy men and women, from St. John Vianney, who spent eighteen hours a day in the confessional hearing the sins of penitents, to St. Mary Magdalene, who became a special friend to Jesus after repenting of her sinful ways.

One of the things I especially appreciated about the book is the Examination of Conscience questions. This carefully developed list of questions, based on the Ten Commandments, is listed for children to use in preparation for confession, and even as a daily practice. I especially appreciate the delicate wording regarding the more “grown-up” aspects in the Commandments.

As a side note: Our diocese (the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois) distributes a nice pamphlet that contains another great “Examination of Conscience for Children” that also handles these delicate questions with respect.

This book would make a great gift. The actual book is small, with thick glossy pages and colorful text. My daughter also wanted me to point out that she really liked the drawings. So, we’d like to give credit to illustrator Maria Ashton, as well.

Finally, I love Mrs. Tierney’s recommendation of celebrating the penitent’s first confession by taking her out for ice cream. This is to remind us of the sweetness of God’s mercy. I plan to carry out this recommendation. I just hope no one will notice if we have to suspend our Lenten sacrifices for an afternoon.

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photo by Laura McNeil of Maple Seeds Photography

Grete Veliz is wife to Mark, mom to three daughters, ages 8, 6, and 4 and two sons, ages 3 and 1. She keeps busy by homeschooling, reading, baking, sewing, knitting, reading blogs and hanging out with her husband (and the kids, too). She and her family are members of St. Mary’s Parish in Metamora.

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*Grete is a young mom I really admire since I see her at daily Mass at our parish pretty often for a mom of five young ones.  I recall so vividly how bringing my once-little kids to daily Mass was alternately despair-inducing (the wiggles {and sometimes the actual Wiggles}, the occasional loud noises, the every-so-often mean looks and even mean anonymous letters) and how alternately great (the kind words from the older parishioners, the overwhelming graces at times, seeing my kids at Mass now).   And I want to say, Grete, keep on keepin’ on: Don’t feel compelled to come every day, and yet don’t stay away.  It’s good for you and good for the kids, and good for the rest of us. Plus, my “old kids” loves to smile at your kids.

*Grete was gracious enough to do a Q&A with me  several years ago on two pregnancy books.  You can read that exchange here.

*Elsewhere on the Internet, Grete did a guest post on Bonnie Engstrom’s Advent series at A Knotted Life several years back.  Her contribution: “Advent in Our Home.”

Meet a Reader: Father Charles Klamut

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Sharing the “Meet a Reader” feature that appears on the book page of The Catholic Post every other issue.

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How you know me: I have served as a priest in the diocese since 1999, primarily in Peoria (St Philomena, Peoria Notre Dame, and St Mark’s) and, most recently, in Champaign as chaplain at St John’s Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois. I also write songs and release music CDs occasionally, and I recently started a website/blog called Pastoral Quotient.

Why I love reading: It’s been said that who we are in ten years depends on two things: the people we spend most time with, and the books we read. I strongly believe this!

The mind is like a field: we can let it grow wild, or we can intentionally cultivate it. One way or other, it will put forth. So why not be intentional? Proverbs 24:6 says wise guidance leads to success in battle; and through an abundance of counselors, there is victory.

Reading lets me tap the wisdom of many counselors, most of whom I will meet only through their ideas. Reading is an antidote preventing me from being a lame priest, always a fear of mine (prayer and friendship are two other antidotes). The people of God deserve thoughtful and wise shepherds, and intentional, consistent reading keeps me growing toward this goal. And growing makes me happy! Good reading enhances my pastoral intelligence and makes me a better priest, so I can serve people better.

What I’m reading now: I just finished Unlocking the Heart of the Artist
by Matt Tommey, a Christian artist from North Carolina who is part of a Christian artists’ guild. The book is a beautiful meditation on the spirituality of artists in God’s Kingdom.

I also recently read Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink, a remarkable author who combines extensive research with journalistic readability in his books on many topics of contemporary cultural concern. Drive discusses the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation — and why the latter is proving more and more to be the superior “operating system” for human motivation in business and in education in today’s creativity and knowledge economy. I think the book has profound implications for pastoral ministry as well, which I am thinking through.

I am currently reading Boundaries for Leaders: Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously in Charge by Dr Henry Cloud, a neuro-psychologist and high-level professional business consultant. Dr Cloud helps leaders lead more effectively by understanding how to steward the emotional climate of an organization in positive ways that actually honor the God-given ways people’s brains were meant to perform.

Next in my queue: A book on Flannery O’Connor’s spiritual journey by Lorraine Murray, which was given to me as a gift recently by the author herself after I collaborated with her husband, Jef Murray, at a recent Tolkien conference at Urbana Theological Seminary. On my website, I have a “Resources” page sharing a lot more detail about books and podcasts that have helped me.

My favorite book: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. People make fun of me because I talk about Tolkien so much! I taught a class at Peoria Notre Dame for almost a decade on LOTR, which was some of the greatest fun I’ve had in all my priesthood. I have actually written a book on the Catholic themes in Tolkien which is currently under consideration for publication.

Mary’s Girlhood

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The Girlhood of Mary Virgin (1848)

A poem for the feast of the Annunciation by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

This is that blessed Mary, pre-elect
God’s Virgin. Gone is a great while, and she
Dwelt young in Nazareth of Galilee.
Unto God’s will she brought devout respect,
Profound simplicity of intellect,
And supreme patience. From her mother’s knee
Faithful and hopeful; wise in charity;
Strong in grave peace; in pity circumspect.

So held she through her girlhood; as it were
An angel-water’d lily, that near God
Grows and is quiet. Till, one dawn at home,
She woke in her white bed, and had no fear
At all,–yet wept till sunshine, and felt aw’d:
Because the fulness of the time was come.

Closer to Joseph, Closer to Christ {Lent Book Series}

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Today the Lent Book Series features the clever and well-read Bonnie Engstrom.
An aside from me first– Happy Feast of St. Joseph, everyone! This is one of our favorite feasts in the years–we have a Joseph-heavy family, and we shall be celebrating much like we do every year (read about that here).  I hope you’re celebrating too.
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Father Gary Caster was my college chaplain. I consider myself spoiled because of it.

Father Caster is a magnificent homilist. He’s funny, passionate, intelligent, and orthodox. He doesn’t mind crying babies, he gets a kick out of restless kids, and he knows how to use the microphone to wake up anyone silly enough to not be paying attention.

If Father Caster wasn’t your college chaplain you don’t have to be jealous, you can read his books and it’s almost as good as being with him in person. Almost.

When I sat down to read Father Caster’s latest book Joseph: The Man Who Raised Jesus, I was delighted that the introduction read just like a dinner party conversation, with Father telling stories about his family and friends and faith.

The introduction did a beautiful job of setting the tone for the book, establishing why St. Joseph is so important to Father Caster; for me it created a lens with which to read and better appreciate the book. It set the tone for a book that is actually deeply personal and not just another theological look at Mary’s husband.

The book itself is rich with Scripture and references to the Catechism, two things that I really appreciate because it shows that Father Caster is speaking not on his own authority but with the Church.

The meat of the book is fifteen chapters that look at Joseph through a specific title, beginning with “The Spouse of Mary” and “The Father of Jesus” and then moving to “Man of Obedience,” “Man of Faith,” and so on. Fr. Caster uses the chapters to not only teach us about Joseph and his role in Jesus’ life, but to also call us forward in our own pursuit of God and His Will.

Highlights from Joseph: The Man Who Raised Jesus:

…the chapter on obedience, which was especially beautiful and moving for me.
…the chapter “Man of Poverty” which inspired me to work on creating a home that could be described as Joseph’s: “a place of reverence for the Law, simplicity of life, and respect for human labor.”
…the introduction, in which Father writes endearingly about his mother’s devotion to St. Joseph;
…the chapter “Shepherd, Protector, Guardian” on St. Joseph’s patronage.

Perhaps my favorite section of all is from the chapter “Man of Courage”:

“Joseph becomes a living witness of Mary’s Magnificat. He accepts the strength of God’s arm and is lifted up with the lowly. He is filled and sustained by the good things of God, and this faithful servant receives the help of God. With the courage that comes from trusting God, Joseph comes to possess the lowliness of heart that is the hallmark of Jesus’ own heart.”

In the end, it is Jesus’ own heart that Father Caster and St. Joseph want us to see, know, and love. Reading Joseph: The Man Who Raised Jesus not only brought me closer to Joseph, like the point of every saint, it brought me closer to Christ.

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Bonnie Engstrom is a central Illinois wife, mother and writer.  She blogs at A Knotted Life, and is a regular contributor to the online magazine Ignitum Today.  She’s also a co-founder of the Behold Conference.  Bonnie and her husband Travis are the parents of five small children—Lydia, Bennet, James, Teresa and Joseph. They are members of St. Luke parish in Eureka.  Their third child, James Fulton, was stillborn and came back to life after being without a pulse for sixty-one minutes.  His alleged miracle is attributed to the intercession of Venerable Fulton Sheen.  On March 6, the reported miracle was unanimously approved by a Vatican panel of medical experts , another step on the way to Sheen’s beatification.

“Less Right, More Love” {Lent Book Series}

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Today the Lent Book Series features guest writer Melissa Bland.

Ok, I have an admission to make. Although I love books, and am married to a terrific bibliophile, I rarely take the time in this season of life to read actual grown-up, enrich-my-life, discussion-worthy books. With homeschooling three, and chasing a fourth away from stairs and electrical cords, reading Farmer Boy with my seven-year-old is the closest I’ve gotten to literature lately.

Lent is upon us, however, and each year I like to choose book to guide my school-aged young ones through Lent in a joyous, thoughtful manner. This year, I’m pulling Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa by EWTN host Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle down from my shelves.

Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa is organized by day with each day providing a quote from Blessed Mother Teresa, reflections for parents, family prayer, a brief story from Mother Teresa’s life, suggestions for fasting and almsgiving that day, and a closing prayer.

Suggestions for fasting and almsgiving are not necessarily your typical “giving up sweets” ideas…One day you are advised to give up worry, another to abstain from grumbling. (I can’t wait to get to that day!)

I liked using this book quite a lot—it requires no prep and can be pulled out at breakfast to start the day right or at lunch for a midday focus on spiritual things.

Normally, I shy away from the “Spiritual Stuff Every Day” books that fill the shelves of Catholic bookstores—just not enough depth and context to be meaningful for me. But during Lent, I think it’s appropriate to use a guide for the day-by-day journey through the desert to Easter.

Because O’Boyle is writing in such little bits, however, I have to be careful how I use this guide, lest it become a daily finger-wagging from Mommy. “See, Blessed Mother Teresa says you shouldn’t grumble.” This is especially true in this year when I’ve resolved to be less “right” and more “Love.”

Although each member of our household (minus baby) has his or her own individual Lenten promises to keep, having a tool like this book to join us together on the journey is a real blessing that I look forward to using again this year. And, I can’t think of a better guide than Mother Teresa to reflecting on Pope Francis’ theme for Lent this year: “He became poor, so that by his poverty, you might become rich.”

Melissa Bland is wife to Andrew (physician/teacher working at OSF for the U Of I College of Medicine at Peoria) and mother to Emily (12), Alayna (10), Kayla (7) and Nathaniel (8 mos.)  She left Speech Pathology in 2001 to raise, and then homeschool her babies, and prays that she always loves her calling so much.  

She is a cradle Catholic whose faith was re-energized when her husband joined the church in 2005. She is a member of St. Anthony Parish in Bartonville where she is a catechist, lector, and gopher.

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