The Ladder
The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Today is the Sunday of the Great fast in which we commemorate St. John the Divine and his famous spiritual manual known as the Ladder of Divine Ascent. This classic book is often called simply “the Ladder.”
(Read biography of St. John from the Prologue)
As we read in today’s gospel, there are some evils in life that can only be conquered through prayer and fasting. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate obviously prayed and fasted in his human nature thus bringing His human nature into complete submission and cooperation with His divine nature.
Likewise it is through prayer and fasting that we endeavor to bring our own lives into complete submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is a difficult road and goes against the natural inclinations of our human nature.
Let’s face it. Of all the different expressions of Christianity, Orthodox Christianity is clearly the most disciplined and rigorous path. However, it also holds the greatest potential for achieving true and realized union with Jesus Christ and advancement in the spiritual life.
This past week the Pope of Rome announced that the first time there are now more Muslims than Roman Catholics in the world. There are several reasons why Islam is growing: for one, they have larger families where as Western Christians are typically having very small families. Secondly, Islam is forcefully and systematically spreading its faith through coercion and assimilation of cultures. But thirdly, Islam appeals to many young people who are looking for a religion that has high standards of morality, discipline and ritual. They admire the regular hours of prayer kept by the Muslims, the outward gestures of piety such as kneeling and prostrations, the modesty of the women, and the practice of fasting.
The great tragedy here is that all the things which they admire in this false and demonic religion are things which Mohammed borrowed from the Orthodox Church in the sixth century.
The disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving admired in the Muslims are disciplines which belong to us as Orthodox Christians. These disciplines are often referred to as a three-legged stool upon which rests the Christian life.
Let us also contemplate the physical image of a ladder. Notice the immense difference between a ladder and an escalator or elevator. These all take us upward but only the ladder requires our active participation.
Some of us spent a lot of time on ladders in the process of building this church. A ladder takes effort to climb and requires also great attentiveness and watchfulness. Carelessness, pride, and lack of caution can bring the ladder climber into swift and hurtful contact with mother earth.
Ascending the ladder takes great effort and causes us to use some muscles we normally don’t exert to any great degree.
The ladder is a gift from God but the climbing of it is our participation in that gift. The ladder is Christ Himself. he is both the ladder and the object of the Ladder. it is in our union with Him that we climb and it is to Him that we are climbing.
In what way do these disciplines join us to Christ and assist us in our ascent to Christ.
Freely Ye Have Received Freely Give