Fr. Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the concept of asceticism in Christian spiritual life. Asceticism as a tradition rooted in the Desert Fathers and essential for tempering bodily indulgence to deepen one’s relationship with God. While often misunderstood as synonymous with penance, asceticism encompasses renunciations and disciplines that help individuals master their will and align their desires with God’s. The spiritual necessity of saying “no” to self-indulgence is a means of freeing the soul to say “yes” to God, fostering both interior freedom and deeper charity. Drawing insights from St. John of the Cross, he highlights the importance of mortification and detachment to clear the soul for divine union, a key principle explored in The Ascent of Mount Carmel.

The modern challenges to asceticism include the culture’s promotion of materialism and pleasure-seeking. Contrasting this with traditional religious practices, such as rigorous fasting and renunciation, with the current minimalistic approach; cautioning against the loss of spiritual discipline. Aceticism benefits all states of life, whether through fasting, simplifying family life, or engaging in acts of love for others. By placing God above created comforts, asceticism becomes a profound way to train the will, deepen faith, and live generously, echoing the Gospel’s call to store treasures in heaven. This spiritual focus invites believers to evaluate their motivations, detach from worldly attachments, and embrace a life centered on God.

“In this chapter we take up a subject planted more firmly on the ground, namely, Saint John of the Cross’ instructions in book 1 of The Ascent of Mount Carmel on asceticism and self-denial. This teaching will make better sense now after we have seen his understanding of the great role of purification in the human faculties for the sake of union with God. Unfortunately, asceticism is a largely forgotten word in contemporary spirituality, despite its importance in the Catholic tradition. In truth, it has never been a treasured topic or a popular Catholic pursuit. It has always been subject to exaggerated notions that distort it and empty it of value. Today another reason may exist for its virtual disappearance from spiritual teaching, which is the excessive focus on the inward path of silent meditative practices that has lately preoccupied spirituality. Writings on the quest for God through methods of meditative mindfulness typically ignore self-denial or bodily discipline as a prerequisite for spiritual growth. This is not to say that these writings encourage moral laxity, but simply that a need for some commitment to asceticism and to real practices of self-denial is nowhere to be found in them. Frankly, this is not a good sign of their value as a teaching for souls seeking a closer relationship with God. The neglect of an ascetical element in the pursuit of God leaves unaddressed the retention of indulgent tendencies in a life. The effort of seeking God ends up then often as a self-absorbed quest, instead of a pure and sacrificial pursuit in response to Jesus’ own words in the Gospel and in imitation of saintly lives.”

Haggerty, Donald. Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation (p. 101). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.

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