March 14, 2010
SUNDAY OF
ST. JOHN CLIMACUS
A holy Saint of the desert, John Climacus wrote The Ladder of Divine Ascent -- a sure guide to the ascetic life, written by a great man of prayer experienced in all forms of the monastic polity; it teaches the seeker after salvation how to lay a sound foundation for his struggles, how to detect and war against each of the passions, how to avoid the snares laid by the demons, and how to rise from the rudimental virtues to the heights of Godlike love and humility. It is held in such high esteem that it is universally read in its entirety in monasteries during the Great Fast. Step by step, the Saint outlines the concrete path to spiritual healing and wholeness, as well as describes the pitfalls placed in our path by the Evil one. Some continue the path to perfection and rise on the ladder to be embraced by Christ the Lord. Others are pulled from the spiritual path by the influences of the devil – chiefly through the uncontrolled passions. During these final weeks of the Great Fast, we do well to reflect on our own path to God. Are we making an effort to rise towards Christ or are we yielding to our uncontrolled passions and being influenced by the world, the flesh and the devil?
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