Whether known by the name "asceticism" or "spiritual combat", the struggle to overcome the deep division in our nature and to bring our lives into harmony with the demands of our faith is an essential element of Christianity. As Jonathan Robinson notes, "This effort involves a struggle with ourselves because we are divided creatures; we are pulled toward what is good, and we lean to what is evil."
However imperfectly practiced, the conviction that the Christian faith demands an effort to fight personal sin and to develop virtues such as kindness, patience, truth-telling, and chastity must be developed, acted upon, and sustained. And this does not come about through some vague notion of "spirituality", theoretical discussions of living the Christian life, or even solely the vital discipline of reading Holy Scripture. If one wants to live united with Christ, one must die to all that stands in the way of that unity.
I had occasion last week, in preparation to teach a class in my home, to return to one of the classics in ascetical theology, Spiritual Combat, by Lorenzo Scupoli (1530-1610). It is a short, straightforward, and uncompromising statement of the theory and practice of the ascetical life. It is my favorite book on the subject. The book is not complex, but it is highly condensed, and it presupposes a theological and moral formation that is rare today. Therefore, I always recommend that it be read with Jonathan Robinson's excellent, Spiritual Combat Revisited, which sets forth an analysis of the structure and main arguments of Scupoli's powerful book. Together, these two books provide the foundation to conquer the divided heart.
Don't be misled by the contemptuous way in which the term "asceticism" is sometimes used by
moderns. The word asceticism comes from the Greek askesis and means practice, bodily exercise, and more specifically, athletic training. Early Christians adopted the word to signify the practice of spiritual exercises performed for the purpose of overcoming sin and acquiring the habits of virtue. As Robinson makes clear, at the heart of asceticism is the understanding that we are born in sin; we are saved by Christ; we must live in hope; and we can do no good without God's grace.