In chapters 44–49 of The Spiritual Combat, Lorenzo Scupoli presents prayer as the soul’s most powerful weapon in spiritual warfare. Through prayer, we place our struggle into God’s hands and ask him to fight on our behalf. Without prayer, Scupoli teaches, growth in holiness is impossible, temptation overwhelms us, and grace remains unreceived.
This truth is expressed with striking clarity by St. Alphonsus Liguori, who writes: “He who prays is certainly saved; he who does not pray is certainly damned.”
Scupoli teaches that the efficacy of prayer depends primarily on the disposition of the heart. Drawing together his teaching, we can identify several essential habits that shape fruitful prayer:
- An earnest desire to serve God perfectly
- Lively faith and confidence in God’s goodness
- Pure intention, seeking God’s will alone
- A life that corresponds to one’s prayers
- Thanksgiving as the beginning of prayer
- Appeal to God’s mercy rather than personal merit
- Perseverance, even in dryness and difficulty
In harmony with this teaching, St. Gregory the Great consistently emphasizes that God attends more to the heart than to words. He teaches that prayer is heard not because of its length or verbosity, but because of the fervour of love that animates it. Similarly, St. John Cassian explains in his Conferences that the value of prayer lies not in its duration but in the intensity and purity of intention.
Scupoli’s insistence on trust finds vivid confirmation in the spiritual experience of St. Faustina Kowalska. Recording the words of Christ, she writes: “Souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust.” (Diary, §1602)
Scupoli describes mental prayer as a lifting up of the mind to God, either through actual supplication—brief interior petitions such as “Lord, help me”—or through virtual supplication, a silent turning of the heart toward God without words. He teaches that this quiet, hidden prayer is a weapon of great value, especially in moments of struggle.
This teaching resonates deeply with the tradition of the Desert Fathers. Abba Isaac, as recorded by St. John Cassian, instructs monks to rely on short, frequent prayers, particularly during temptation, when the soul lacks the leisure for extended meditation. Cassian explains that such brief prayers, offered with purity of heart, rise swiftly to God and strike the enemy like arrows. These so-called “arrow prayers” were the monks’ primary defence against demonic assaults.
Prayer is not measured by words alone. St. Augustine expresses this truth succinctly: “Your desire is your prayer; if your desire is continuous, your prayer is continuous.”
Here Augustine teaches that a heart continually oriented toward God remains in prayer, even amid daily activity. Prayer, at its core, is relational, abiding in the presence of the God who loves us.
For longer periods of prayer, Scupoli strongly recommends meditation on the life and Passion of Christ, which he presents as the supreme school of virtue. The sufferings of Christ awaken love, contrition, hope, compassion, and a deep hatred of sin.
The life of St. Francis of Assisi offers a luminous illustration of this truth. Absorbed in contemplation of Christ crucified on Mount La Verna, Francis received the stigmata. Long before this extraordinary grace, Francis testified by word and by life that the Cross taught him everything: poverty, humility, patience, obedience, and love.
This spiritual insight accords with the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, who explains that Christ’s Passion provides the most perfect example of every virtue.
Devotions such as the Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy help focus the mind and heart on the mysteries of Christ’s life and Passion, especially when prayed in union with Mary’s contemplative gaze. Yet prayer and meditation are never meant to terminate in emotion alone. They must lead to imitation.
Christ suffered not only to redeem us, but also to teach us how to live. In this spirit, St. Leo the Great consistently teaches that every action of Christ serves both our salvation and our instruction.
Prayer demands vigilance. Distractions inevitably arise, and the mind wanders. The Desert Fathers counsel that wandering thoughts should not be attacked violently, but gently set aside, with a calm return to God. This patient fidelity preserves humility and peace.
True prayer often unfolds in silence, stillness, and perseverance. It is not always sweet or consoling, but it is always fruitful, because it unites the soul ever more deeply to God’s strength rather than its own.
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以天主的力量作戰：祈禱的威能
在「神修戰鬥」44 至 49 章中，斯庫波里神父（Lorenzo Scupoli）指出：祈禱是靈魂在屬靈戰爭中最強而有力的武器。 藉著祈禱，我們把自己的掙扎交在天主手中，求祂替我們作戰。斯庫波里神父教導說，沒有祈禱，人不可能在聖德上成長，誘惑會壓倒我們，而恩寵也無法臨到。
聖亞豐索（St. Alphonsus Liguori）以極清晰的語句表達了這個真理：「祈禱的人必定得救；不祈禱的人必定喪亡。」
斯庫波里神父指出，祈禱的效力主要取決於心靈的態度。綜合他的教導，我們可以辨識出幾項成就良好祈禱的核心習慣：
- 真誠渴望完美地事奉天主
- 活潑信德和信賴天主的仁慈
- 單純的意向，只尋求天主的旨意
- 生活與祈禱相一致
- 以感恩作為祈禱的開始
- 倚靠天主的仁慈，而非個人的功勞
- 在乾枯與困難中仍堅持不懈
與此一致，聖額我略一世（St. Gregory the Great）不斷強調：天主看重的是心，不是言語。他教導說，祈禱之所以被俯聽，不在於其長度或華麗，而在於其中燃燒的愛火。同樣地，聖若望格西安（St. John Cassian）在「The Conference」中指出：祈禱的價值不在於時間的長短，而在於意向的純潔與熱切。
斯庫波里神父對信賴的堅持，在聖傅天娜（St. Faustina Kowalska）的靈修經驗中得到鮮明的印證。她記錄了耶穌的話：「靈魂唯有以信賴之器皿，方能汲取恩寵。」（「日記」1602）
斯庫波里神父將心禱描述為舉心向上，求天主賞恩賜。可以是明指的祈求—例如「主，請幫助我」這類簡短的心禱；也可以是含意的祈求—無言地把心轉向天主。他教導說，這種安靜、隱密的祈禱在掙扎時尤其有力。
這教導與沙漠教父的傳統深深呼應。格西安記錄說，阿爸依撒格（Abba Isaac）教導修士在試探之時，尤當倚靠簡短而頻密的祈禱，因為靈魂在那種境況下無暇作長時間的默想。格西安解釋，這些以純潔之心所發出的短祈禱，如箭一般迅速升向天主，擊中仇敵。因此，這些稱為「箭禱」的，便成為修士抵禦惡魔攻擊的主要武器。
祈禱不以言語衡量。聖奧斯定（St. Augustine）簡潔地說：「你的渴望就是你的祈禱；若你的渴望不斷，你的祈禱也不斷。」
聖奧斯定在此教導：一顆不斷朝向天主的心，即使在日常活動中，也常存於祈禱之中。祈禱的核心是關係—停留在愛我們的天主面前。
在較長的祈禱時間裡，斯庫波里神父強烈建議默想基督的一生與苦難，因為這是德行最完美的學校。基督的受苦喚醒愛德、痛悔、希望、憐憫，以及對罪惡的深切憎惡。
聖方濟亞西西（St. Francis of Assisi）的生活為此提供了光輝的例證。他在拉維納山（La Verna）默觀被釘的基督時，領受了聖傷。但在這非凡恩寵之前，他已以言行見證：十字聖架教會了他一切—貧窮、謙遜、忍耐、服從與愛。
這靈修洞見與聖多瑪斯阿奎納（St. Thomas Aquinas）的教導一致：基督的苦難為每一種德行提供最完美的典範。
玫瑰經與慈悲串經等敬禮，有助於我們把心神集中於基督的奧蹟，尤其當我們與聖母默觀的眼神一同祈禱時。然而，祈禱與默想不能只停留在情感上，必須引領人走向效法。
基督受苦不僅為救贖我們，也為教導我們如何生活。本著這精神，聖良一世（St. Leo the Great）不斷教導：基督的每一個行動既為我們的救恩，也為我們的訓誨。
祈禱需要警醒。分心在所難免，心思會飄散。沙漠教父勸告：不要粗暴地攻擊這些雜念，而要溫和地放下，平靜地回到天主面前。這耐心的忠誠保守謙遜與平安。
真正的祈禱常在沉默、靜定與堅持中展開。祈禱並不總是甘甜或安慰，但總是富有成果，因為祈禱使靈魂更深入地與天主的力量結合，而非自己的力量。
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