In this article on Eastern spirituality I have been sharing thoughts about the various steps on St. John Climacus’ Ladder of Divine Ascent. I have already completed eight of the steps. The ninth step on the Ladder is:

REMEMBRANCE OF WRONGS/MALICE.

St. John tells us that there is nothing more destructive to spiritual life than the remembrance of wrongs. It is, in fact, a complete contradiction to the imitation of God: “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand?” (Psalm 129/130:3). It is the exact opposite of forgiveness. In the Lord’s Prayer we ask: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”. When a debt is cleared, it is erased, as though it never existed. This is how God forgives us. He tore up the record of our sins on the Cross. They were drowned in the water of baptism, and they are washed away in the tears of repentance. If we refuse to forget wrongs, then we have not     forgiven as God forgives – we are still “keeping a record” of sins. We must ask ourselves this: Do I think that I am better or greater than God? Is the offense given to me greater than the offense I give to God when I commit hateful acts? It is clear, then, that if we go on marking iniquities, God will mark ours too.

The remembrance of wrongs is the fruit of unhealed anger. When we have mastered and purified our anger, wrongs will be forgotten.

Hopefully my readers can see, through this example, how the Ladder is meant to work. We must perfect each step before we can go onto the next step.

St. John tells us: Let your malice and your spite be turned against the devils. We are to redirect our anger against sin and evil, above all against our own sins and spiritual failings.

I shall share more information about this ninth step in the up-and-coming Bulletins.