"Ascend, my brothers, ascend eagerly. Let your hearts' resolve be to climb. Listen to the voice of the one who says: 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of our God (Isa 2.3.), Who makes our feet to be like the feet of the deer, 'Who sets us... Continue Reading →
Do not let your wounds fester
"Do not be surprised if you fall every day and do not surrender. Stand your ground bravely. And you may be sure that your guardian angel will respect your endurance. A fresh, warm wound is easier to heal than those that are old, neglected, and festering, and that need extensive treatment, surgery, bandaging, and cauterization.... Continue Reading →
Despair Not
"The mercy of God has no limits, nothing is too great for it. That is the reason why anyone who despairs of it is the author of his own death." St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 5.
Defining God
"God is Love. Whoever sought to define Him would be like a blind person trying to count the grains of sand on the seashore." St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, Chapter 30.
God Hears The Stammering of The Little Children
"When you are praying, don't rack your brains to find words. On many occasions, the simple, monotonous stammering of children has satisfied their Father who is in Heaven. Don't bother trying to be eloquent lest your mind be bewildered in the search for words. The tax-collector gained the Lord's forgiveness with a single sentence, and... Continue Reading →
Prayer is Dialogue
"Prayer is by nature a dialogue between man and God. It unites the soul with its Creator and reconciles the two. Its effect is to hold the world together." St John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent 28.1 Prayer is that which holds the world together, that which opens our access to God. Ultimately we wish... Continue Reading →
Pride is Darkness
"Pride is the extreme poverty of the soul that thinks itself to be rich and mistakes darkness for light." St. John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent XXIII, 23. Let us not mistake the darkness of the passions or even of ourselves as though our life lay in these things. Riches, houses, cars, bodily pleasures will... Continue Reading →
Let us Glory in Christ and Not In Ourselves
"The sun shines on all alike, and vainglory beams on all activities. For instance, I am vainglorious when I fast; and when I relax the fast in order to be unnoticed, I am again vainglorious over my prudence. When I am well dressed I am quite overcome by vainglory, and when I put on poor... Continue Reading →
An Ancient Faith For a Modern World 