The eighth step of St. John’s Ladder is MEEKNESS and LOSS OF ANGER. A few words about anger are in order. The passion of anger is not merely a tendency to lose one’s temper. Rather it is a spiritual disease … Continue reading
Category Archives: The Spirituality Of the Christian East
As I shared in the last issue of the Bulletin, the eighth step on the Ladder is MEEKNESS/LOSS OF ANGER. We so often judge meekness and patience by externals. Malice often thrives in the deceptively meek and silent. Often people, … Continue reading
The seventh step on John’s Ladder is MOURNING. Remembrance of Death, the sixth step, when truly understood and acquired, leads to mourning. It must be understood, however, that the mourning John talked about is not the kind to which we … Continue reading
I would finish these thoughts on the sixth step of the Ladder, Remembrance of Death, with these few additional comments. When we remember death, life is put into perspective. We will not waste our time on things that are not … Continue reading
The sixth step of Climicus’ Ladder, is, as I have already shared, Remembrance of Death. As I was thinking about this, this question came to mind: How would I live this day if I knew it was my last? I … Continue reading
I have been sharing with you the 30 steps contained in Climacus’ Ladder of Divine Assent, interpreted for the needs of persons who are not monks. The sixth step, as I shared in the last issue, is the Remembrance of … Continue reading
As I continue to share with my readers the 30 steps that Climacus devised to help us monks spiritually grow, I would remind my readers that this is truly a developmental approach to reaching holiness. We do well to reflect … Continue reading
I would continue sharing thoughts of St. John Climacus’ fifth step on his Ladder of Divine Ascent: Repentance. He describes repentance as a critical awareness and a sure watch over oneself. He writes: We ought to be on our guard, … Continue reading
I have been sharing thoughts about St. John’s fifth step on the Ladder of Divine Ascent, which is Repentance. St. John wrote: Repentance is the daughter of hope and the refusal to despair. Repentance is not mere contrition, not a … Continue reading
As I shared in the last issue of this article, the fifth step on John’s Ladder is Repentance and that it is rooted in true humility. True humility, however, is not mere modesty. Modesty is to be found in people … Continue reading