Episode 11 -- Spiritual Combat c7 -- Right Use of the Understanding

What is the third weapon in the spiritual combat?

After telling us about distrust of self and confidence in God, Fr Scupoli spends a couple of chapters talking about both of these spiritual weapons together. We need them both to conquer the enemy. Who is the enemy? Primarily ourselves!

Do not fear him who can kill the body and not the soul, Jesus said, but fear him who has the power to cast body and soul into hell (Matthew 10:28). The only one who can send us to hell is ourselves, by our misuse of our freedom.

What is his final advice about trusting in God? Fr Scupoli says that we have to be convinced that the following cannot enable us to do the will of God:

1. Natural or acquired abilities

2. Supernatural gifts

3. Perfect knowledge of the Scriptures

4. A long time spent in service of God

To do the will of God, we need his help! His hand must be with us. Live with an awareness of God’s presence. Live with your hand in his hand. Stay with him.

• Are we overwhelmed with sins?
• Do we feel our inclination to evil growing daily?
• Have I been unable to break away from vice after much effort?

DO NOT LOSE CONFIDENCE in GOD. Let us abandon ourselves to His power. Do not give up on your spiritual practices.

“God can grant in a moment what we have been seeking for a long time,” - St. Philip Neri

If David could kill Goliath, if Our Lady could undo all evil at the Annunciation, if St Paul could become an Apostle, there is hope for us no matter how dark things seem.

The only way to victory is not to lay down our weapons. What is our weapon for fighting? Confidence in God. If we keep this weapon in our hands, victory will come when we least expect it! The victory will be from the Lord. “Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord, but unto your name be the praise.” (Psalm 115:1).

In this episode, we turn to the third weapon, the right use of our faculties. We begin with our mind, our understanding.