Books by Saint George Preca published in English

A Letter of Meekness (1990)
The Sanctuary of Christ’s Spirit (1992)
The Psalm of Fr Franco, a Carmelite (1993)
The Mansions and the Praeconia(1995)
Gymnasium for the Spiritual Life (1996)
A Spiritual Directory (1997)
The Watch (rev. ed. 1998)
Discipleship (1998)
The Great Book. Look up to Christ Crucified (1998)
The Right Intention
The Year of the Lord (1999)
Singing the Glory and Mercy of God. Two Psalms. (2000)

Gymnasium for the Spiritual Life

Metaphors or allegories come handy in all languages to make complex realities more understandable and convey suggestive freshness to moving human experiences. Along the centuries, the Christian life has been explained by means of various metaphors.
Fr Preca, as a preacher and even more as a Founder-writer, explained his vision and spirituality by using “classical” metaphors, especially that of pilgrimage. Then, around that governing image, he forcefully depicts the Christian discipleship of the Crucified Lord with all its joys, hardships, follies and struggles.*
The metaphor of combat, struggle or warfare is very frequently used by many spiritual writers throughout the centuries. Fr Preca uses it extensively, influenced as he was by such masters as Thomas à Kempis (1379-1471), Lorenzo Scupoli (1530-1610) and Alphonse Ligouri (1696-1787). Not to mention, of course, the whole Pauline tradition, especially Paul’s letter to Timothy.

The Gymnasium , written in the 1930s, “consists of a collection of instructions taken from various eminent writers on spiritual life” and meant “to be a course to help the reader attain the attitude of despising all that is worldly while appreciating all spiritual values”. That is how the Founder himself presents the book. He intended it as a manual “for those involved in the spiritual guidance of youths and the Members of the Society of Christian Doctrine”, i.e. for all SDC spiritual directors or “sponsors”. Jesus himself is the mentor.
Using the warfare metaphor, Fr Preca, in a long line of classical and Christian tradition, believed that, during peace time, soldiers do not idle away their time but they spend it learning how to handle weapons for real combat. “Similarly, those who seriously fear to fall prey to their spiritual enemies must prepare themselves by learning about spiritual combat…. Every human being must necessarily fight lawfully by the rules of the Gospel in order to obtain the crown of victory after death. During combat one must also keep in mind THE REWARD in eternal happiness, and THE PUNISHMENT in eternal and frightening sufferings.”
Taken in isolation, the combat or wrestling metaphor might project a pessimistic and Stoic outlook on life. But viewed from the proper and holistic angle of discipleship, it fits and complements all the requirements and demands for the sequela Christi. Stripping off the unnecessary baggage of the old self and putting on Christ Jesus is a life-long process of growth, and it can’t be done without endurance. The end result we wish to achieve is pictured thus by the Founder: “Armed with prayer, a true soldier of mine (of Jesus) fights by my side ever victorious, … in an attitude of humility, patience and compassion … and is sure to reign with me forever in glory” (Instruction 75).
I encourage, therefore, every Candidate and Member to follow through all the 100 “instructions” of this Gymnasium , and to pray so as to be faithful in practising them.