What is the greatest spiritual battle?
The greatest battles do not occur in a distant land or even in past times but in the depths of the human soul. It is the battle between virtue and vice, the conflict between aspiring to be a saint or living a mediocre life. The conflict between reaching heaven or forfeiting it.
In this spiritual masterpiece, Pope Saint Leo IX, identifies our foes: “The enemies in this battle—the vices and temptations which infect our fallen nature—are invisible and internal.”
These invisible and internal vices have dragged many souls to hell, and they will not stop until every person has surrendered to their pernicious and vile attacks. Are you saddened and discouraged by such daily assaults? There is hope. In these pages, you will find over twenty-five virtues to help you win the spiritual victory against sin. With God’s grace and virtues like humility, detachment, prudent restraint, firm stability, and others, the battle can be won.
But keep in mind that spiritual victory does not happen overnight. The battle wages on until your final breath. The question remains: Are you willing to fight?
Just as this book is a dialogue between the virtues and vices, so too must we learn to listen to the voice of truth and not the voice of lies. The Lord, the General of our souls, whispers words of encouragement and peace while the devil, the captain of vice and enemy of our souls, tempts us to sin and then accuses us.
On our earthly pilgrimage fraught with suffering, sorrow, and trials, let us keep our eyes fixed on our celestial homeland, the eternal city, where there will be perpetual peace. In Heaven, Our Lord will welcome His glorious martyrs and courageous soldiers, those who have kept the faith and fought victoriously.
There is nothing more important in this life than fortifying the interior castle of the soul with virtue.
- Author:
- Pope Saint Leo IX
- Publication Date:
- 08/15/2023
- Format:
- Hardcover
- Translation By:
- Fr. Robert Nixon
- Pdf:
- https://tanbooks.com/content/3251_Preview.pdf
- Pages:
- 136
- atc-product:
- 1719
- atc-product:
- 3193
- atc-product:
- 3761
- cpu-product:
- 1221
- cpu-product:
- 4232
- cpu-product:
- 3002
- Height:
- 7.00
- Width:
- 5.00
8 Reviews
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Just what we need!
I think this book is a great gift to the Church, to each and everyone of us, in understanding the virtues, and how to comabt them in a simple manner. It would be a great homeschooling/parental tool to lead one's children, as well as oneself. Thank you for translating and publishing this gem!
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Wonderful!
A beautiful and edifying read :-)
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Great buy
This is a wonderful book on vices and the virtues that we need to overcome them.
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Vice vs virtues
Excellent book Want to give as gifts At 19.99 limits how many I can order.
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Virtues and Vices
Golly!, What a wonderful book. I rank it with the likes of Imitation of Christ. I may call and buy a case of these to give as gifts. It's a book to be read one Vice vs. one Virtue at a per day to let it sink in. How wonderful to have had such great popes in the past. Highly recommend this book. What a deal to have gotten it for $5.00. Hope I can buy a bunch later for the same price or better ;-) I have purchased books in volume from Tan in the past and given them for gifts, such as Imitation of Christ. Thanks Tan. God bless.
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This is a truly wonderful little book!!! I recommend it to all who are looking for ways to improve themselves!
Thank you for publishing this small but powerful book!
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A Most Unique Book
As someone who is always looking for good devotional information on the virtues I love this little book. Leo IX crafted his virtues and vices as unique characters in a very descriptive way, giving us details of their moods, actions, and even their clothing, all to illustrate the spiritual attributes of the vices and virtues. The dialogue between the two is very easy to read (a credit to Fr. Nixon the translator) and edifying. It's such a unique way to examine virtue and has been a great enjoyment to me.
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A Helpful (and Even Fun!) Little Meditation
This little book is not only insightful and spiritually nourishing, it’s also simply charming. The depictions of the virtues and vices as characters are imaginative and sometimes humorous, helping me unmask the ridiculous elements often dwelling behind sin. It’s also edifying to learn about a Pope-Saint I’ve never heard of, let alone read, and connect with a part of our spiritual heritage. My one critique is that the book is rather short for its full retail price. I would have liked it to be grouped with other works, perhaps, to justify the cost or else lower it. It is truly a worthy read though, and I’m grateful TAN is taking on this project of republishing old classics made new.
