Union with God
“The problem of our life is union with God, and sin completely prevents this”
-Saint John Climacus
Call It Back
Fight always with your thoughts and call them back when they wander away. God does not demand of those under obedience that their thoughts be totally undistracted when they pray. And do not lose heart when your thoughts are stolen away. Just remain calm, and constantly call your mind back.
St. John Climacus
The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 4
A quote from the Ladder of Divine Ascent
Waves never leave the sea. Anger and gloom never leave the miserly.
-St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent 17
Spiritual gifts
“Someone asked this question of a discerning man: ‘Why is it that God confers gifts and wonder-working powers on some, even though He knows in advance that they will lapse?’ His answer was that God does this so that other spiritual men may grow cautious, and to show that the human will is free, and to demonstrate that on the day of judgment there will be no excuse for these who lapsed.”
-St. John Climacus
From The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Demons often transform themselves into angels of light and take the form of martyrs, and make it appear to us during sleep that we are in communication with them. Then, when we wake up, they plunge us into unholy joy and conceit. But you can detect their deceit by this very fact. For angels reveal torments, judgments and separations; and when we wake up we find that we are trembling and sad. As soon as we begin to believe the demons in dreams, then they make sport of us when we are awake too. He who believes in dreams is completely inexperienced. But he who distrusts all dreams is a wise man. Only believe dreams that warn you of torments and judgments. But if despair afflicts you, then such dreams area also from demons.
Saint John Climacus said…
Exile means that we leave forever everything in our own country that prevents us from reaching the goal of piety. Exile means modest manners, wisdom which remains unknown, prudence not recognized as such by most, a hidden life, an invisible intention, unseen meditation, desire for humiliation, longing for hardship, constant determination to love God, abundance of love, renunciation of vainglory, depth of silence.
-Saint John Climacus
A quote from Saint John Climacus
“Faith is the wing of prayer, and without it my prayer will return to my bosom. Faith is the unshaken stance of the soul and is unmoved by any adversity.”
- St. John Climacus
From St. John Climacus
“It is not the self-critical who reveals his humility (for does not everyone have somehow to put up with himself?). Rather it is the man who continues to love the person who has criticized him.”
(The Ladder of Divine Ascent; Paulist Press pg. 203):
Saint John Climacus said…
Let us charge into the good fight with joy and love without being afraid of our enemies. Though unseen themselves, they can look at the face of our soul, and if they see it altered by fear, they take up arms against us all the more fiercely. For the cunning creatures have observed that we are scared. So let us take up arms against them courageously. No one will fight with a resolute fighter.
-St. John Climacus
Saint John Climacus said..
“Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience.”
-St. John Climacus – The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Quote from the “Ladder of Divine Ascent”
“The Christian is one who imitates Christ in thought, word and deed, as far as is possible for human beings, believing rightly and blamelessly in the Holy Trinity.”
-St. John Climacus
Stages of Prayer
The beginning of prayer consists in banishing by a single thought the thoughts that assault us at the very moment they appear; the middle stage consists in confining the mind to what is being said; and the perfection of prayer is rapture in the Lord.
St. John Klimakos, Ladder of Divine Ascent, 28
