On Sun, 15 Sep 1996, Jerome Kroll wrote:
> I am interested in references and specific citations in canon law, councils,
> ecclesiastical writings, and saints' lives that prohibit or discourage the use
> of extreme ascetic practices.
> Many thanks.....Jerry Kroll
>
>
>
William of St. Thierry's _Golden Epistle_ (_Epistola ad fratres de Monte
Dei_), written to Carthusians and thus in the context of the tradition of
the Desert Fathers, has a number of comments about moderation in ascetic
practice, including the idea that the body is intended to serve the soul,
hence one must take care of it, as one would a beast of burden, for, if
one mistreats one's pack animal, it will eventually cease to be capable
of bearing its burden.
You might also consult Augustine, _De Doctrina Christiana_, I.22-26 and
elsewhere, where Augustine says that, although the body is subordinate to
the soul, this does not mean one hates the body, for no man hates his
body (echoing New Testament language), hence ascetic training (ascesis
meaning something like athletic training in its root) is a means of
taking proper care of the body by putting it in its place, so to speak.
Dennis Martin
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