Our venerable and God-bearing Father John Climacus (ca. 579 – 649), also known as John of the Ladder, John Scholasticus, and John Sinaites, was a seventh century monk at St. Catherine's monastery at the base of Mount Sinai.
It describes how to raise one's soul to God, as if on a ladder. This book is one of the most widely read among Eastern Orthodox Christians, especially during the season of Great Lent which immediately precedes Pascha (Easter), and on the fourth Sunday of Great Lent he is especially commemorated.
It is at this point in our Lenten journey that the Church contemplates the instruction of St. John Climacus and his Ladder of Divine Ascent.
Fr. Tom takes us step by step through this treasure and makes it practical for us non-monastics!
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Brethren, when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whomto swear, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thusAbraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by one greater thanthemselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to showmore convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He interposed with an oath. So that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible thatGod should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seizethe hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that entersinto the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, havingbecome a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
At that time, a man came to Jesus, kneeling down and saying unto him, "Teacher, I broughtmy son to you, for he has a dumb spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and hefoams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked Thy Disciples to cast it out, and theywere not able." And Jesus answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you?How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to Me." And they brought the boy to Him; and whenthe spirit saw Jesus, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about,foaming at the mouth.
And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if Thou canst do anything, have pity on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you,come out of him, and never enter him again." And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.