Deus Caritas Est

"That supernatural mode of conduct is a truly military tactic. You carry on the war — the daily struggles of your interior — far from the main walls of your fortress. And the enemy meets you there: in your small mortifications, your customary prayer, your methodical work, your plan of life: and with difficulty will he come close to the easily-scaled battlements of your castle. And if he does come, he comes exhausted." (St. Josemaria Escriva)

I think this quote distills the spiritual life as well as any. Are not sacrifice, prayer, work, and purpose the building blocks of love? If we have any of these in any measure, the battle will remain in the battlefield. If not, it will take place within the castle and will be waged against an enemy as fresh and energetic as the sunrise.Hand-to-hand against an ageless demon--the prospects for victory are pyrrhic at best.