Episode 102 -- Spiritual Combat c61 -- Persevering until Death

Will my examination of conscience keep revealing unruly passions in my soul?

The final chapters of The Spiritual Combat discuss various requirements of the soldier of Christ. One of these requirements is perseverance. Perseverance in the spiritual battle is not itself one of the four main weapons, but a necessary condition for the use of the weapons. As long as we are in this life, we have to keep weeding the garden of our soul. God has not willed to remove completely the effects of original sin. In his wisdom, he allows us to be tempted by concupiscence, our tendency to sin, until we die. Thus, we must be resolved to fight, fight, fight. As long as we do not lay down our weapons, the victory is guaranteed. Why? Because our Captain, our champion, is Christ.

One of the other requirements that we looked at last episode is the examination of conscience each night. We must look over our day to see where we have sinned. We must especially look at the occasions of our sins. God wants us to learn from our sins. If only we could avoid the occasions, the persons, places, and things that cause us to fall, we would not fall so often! During Compline, the Church encourages us to make this examination of conscience. She wants us to ask pardon, to ask for light to know ourselves, and to ask for the grace to amend our lives. But let us never forget to give thanks to the risen Lord. Let us give thanks for any victory we have had today. How good the Lord is to us. Forgetting what lies behind, let us with St Paul, press forward to what lies ahead!