Salvation and spiritual perfection should not be sought haphazardly; a strategy is needed to win the battle for our souls.

The Spiritual Combat, first published in 1589, provides timeless guidance in spiritual discipline. St. Francis de Sales (1576–1622) read from it himself every day and recommended it to everyone under his direction.

Vigorous, realistic, and full of keen insight into human nature, The Spiritual Combat consists of short chapters based on the maxim that in the spiritual life one must either "fight or die." Fr. Lorenzo Scupoli shows the Christian how to combat his passions and vices, especially impurity and sloth, in order to arrive at victory.