Discipline in the spiritual life

One day, upon waking, whilst praying, I realised that I had become spiritually stagnant – or at the very least, I realised that I had not grown much in my love for Jesus in the days leading up to that moment. As I examined my conscience, I realised that this was due to a lack of spiritual discipline.

Discipline is necessary in life. It is practised at school, in sport, in the army, in nutrition, in hygiene, and so on. In everyday life, it is difficult to achieve real success without discipline. Sometimes success depends on whether discipline is strict or not. In the Church, the Code of Canon Law is an example of discipline. God’s commandments are a form of discipline. Just because we speak of love as being superior to the law does not mean that we should behave without regard for God’s will. Just because there is love in a relationship does not mean that one partner can do whatever they like. Indeed, loving another person actually means regulating one’s behaviour out of love for them. ‘Do not be so certain of forgiveness that you pile sin upon sin. Do not say, ‘His mercy is great; he will forgive me my many sins!’ for in him there is both mercy and wrath, and his wrath falls upon sinners” (Sirach 5:5–6). Love therefore involves discipline, and this discipline sustains love. The more I love God, the more disciplined I will be in my relationship with him.

St Paul speaks of the discipline of athletes, but for a perishable crown: we, for a better crown. ‘Do you not know that in a race at the stadium, all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to win it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things; yet they do so to win a perishable crown, but we, an imperishable one’ (1 Cor 9:24–25). In the Letter to the Hebrews, the author speaks of the discipline parents impose on their children, for which the children are later grateful. We must not, therefore, imagine a good spiritual life without discipline. That is to say: Praying only when one feels like it, when it is pleasant; Performing acts of love on a whim or on a sudden impulse; going to Mass when it suits you; going to confession only when you feel you have committed a mortal sin; going to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament when you have time; Reading the Bible only when one is not tired; attending the weekly parish meeting only when it suits one. This would be a spiritual life lacking in discipline. And many, after a genuine conversion, have fallen into this trap of a lack of discipline and are floundering as if in mud.

Let us look at life within the Church: there are special years – Holy Years, Jubilee Years, the Year of Mercy, and so on. Bishops draw up pastoral programmes. Monks have fixed times for prayer, work and study. Laypeople, too, must ask themselves questions about their discipline. When is my daily time for personal prayer? How much time do I intend to spend each day in intimate conversation with Jesus? How do I plan to put into practice what Jesus tells me in his Word (spiritual exercise)? When and how often should I go to confession each month? When do I say my other prayers (Rosary, Angelus, Adoration)? What is my schedule for community activities? When should I carry out this or that other activity in my secular life? Without this spiritual discipline—which is different from that of monks, but specific to laypeople—many will waver, grow weak, sink into laziness or neglect, and fall away. Or else, they will experience an endless spiritual dry spell.

That is why we must adopt a personal discipline. Generally, our bodies resist discipline. We do not like constraints. Yet there is no true freedom without discipline, just as the highway code restricts speed but is nevertheless necessary for safe driving. Discipline involves rules to be followed, and therefore requires effort, which we find distasteful. Jesus said: ‘Whoever wants to follow me must take up their cross daily and follow me’. Discipline is a cross to bear. It involves, for example: waking up in the morning to pray at a specific time, not going off anywhere and not doing just anything.

Often, discipline is imposed from outside, and the fear of punishment or failure is what drives us. The difficulty with personal spiritual discipline is that no one is forcing you, punishing you, or really keeping an eye on you. Yet you must set limits for yourself and stick to them. Sometimes, very quickly, we cheat, we let our guard down, and the rest follows: our love for Jesus wanes. There are people who tend to think: ‘I don’t like being forced to do this, or being watched’. This is the path to spiritual failure. Anyone who acts without discipline is lazy and lacks courage. You must be able to make up your mind and persevere, or even be willing to submit your discipline to someone (a spiritual elder) who can act as a watchman. God, being all-powerful, could have created the world in an instant, but He chose to exercise discipline, creating something each day, and even on the seventh day, He rested. If we could do everything in our power to be disciplined in our spiritual life, especially during this time of lockdown, we would make great strides in our love for Jesus; we would truly be on the path to holiness.

Henri Bayemi