The spiritual or supernatural life is the true life of man. His
soul or spirit is the principal and ruling part of his being, as it
is the more noble part. By the spirit man knows God; by it he is
capable of being united to God and, as it were, transformed into
Him; whilst, on the other hand, the animal and sensitive part is
only the instrument which the soul uses in order to know and rule
the material world which is so much inferior to itself. The
ascetical life shows that man is not of this world, but of heaven;
that he is not for this world, but for Him Who is the Author of man
and of the world. The supernatural man as an eagle leaves the earth
and soars towards heaven; he desires nothing of this world, he
seeks nothing of it, because he feels that he is better than it,
and is destined for better things. Before a man reaches the
perfection of the spiritual or supernatural life, it behoves him to
labour much, to fight hard, because the sensitive part is entirely
inclined to creatures, and it does not freely and easily follow the
spirit ascending to God, but does so only by force and pressure.
For as every material body naturally tends towards the earth, and
is raised up from it only by a superior force, so man's senses
attracted to creatures, are only by force of God's grace withdrawn
from them and elevated unto God. All men are called to perfection
according to the moral law, and no one can be saved who is not-at
least, at the moment of death in a state of grace. This is the
first grade of perfection to which all men are bound, but this does
not imply that all men are bound to perfection according to
asceticism. The first perfection is of precept, the second of
counsel. ASCETICAL theology may be defined A science which from
truths divinely revealed explains the doctrine by which souls are
directed in the acquisition and perfection of the supernatural
life, according to the ordinary providence of God. It is a branch
of moral theology, and must of necessity have the ordinary science
of theology as its foundation. Although with mystical theology it
forms a subdivision of moral theology, it is distinct from both of
these sciences. While moral theology prescribes the rules of
action, ascetical theology teaches the means by which sanctity of
life may be acquired, increased, and perfected. On the other hand,
mystical theology seems to indicate a higher and sublimer degree of
asceticism. This science does not teach the ordinary and wellbeaten
paths of perfection, but shows a more excellent way and deals with
a more hidden intercourse between man and God, always aspiring as
it does to the higher and the better things, according to the words
Whether the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went, and
they turned not when they went. The distinction of ascetical from
moral and mystical is clearly defined and explained by John Bapt.
Scaramelli, S.J., in his work entitled 'Directorium Mysticum, '
from which in substance the following explanatory remarks are
taken. According to this author, after the soul, assisted by Divine
grace, has overcome the sensitive part of our being, and withdrawn
it from unlawful indulgence in the use and fruition of creatures,
and after it has been established in justice according to the rules
of moral theology, then, strengthened and attracted by God, it
begins to ascend higher in the scale of perfection, and causes the
inferior part of our nature to ascend with it, and thus to become
more spiritual. This, he says, is Christian asceticism.
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