- The Ladder of Divine Ascent: Renunciation of Life and Detachment
- The Ladder of Divine Ascent: Obedience and Penitence
- The Ladder of Divine Ascent: Placidity, Meekness, Malice, and Slander
- The Ladder of Divine Ascent: Avarice and Poverty
- The Ladder of Divine Ascent: Talkativeness and Silence
- The Ladder of Divine Ascent: Insensitivity
- The Ladder of Divine Ascent: Vainglory and Pride
- The Ladder of Divine Ascent: Chastity
From The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus:
"We should love the Lord as do our friends. Many a time I have seen people bring grief to God, without being bothered about it, and I have seen these very same people resort to every device, plan, pressure, plea from themselves and friends, and every gift, simply to restore an old relationship upset by some monir grievance."
"[L]et no one tell me…that because of his addiction to pleasure he must be excused for remaining stuck in his sin. The more the putrefaction, the greater the need for treatment, if the uncleanness is to be done away with, for the healthy do not make their way to the doctor's surgery."
"If you truly love God and long to reach the kingdom that is to come, if you are truly pained by your failings and are mindful of punishment and of the eternal judgment, if you are truly afraid to die, then it will not be possible to have an attachment, or anxiety, or concern for money, for possessions, for family relationships, for wordly glory, for love and brotherhood, indeed for anything of earth. All worry about one's condition, even for one's body, will be pushed aside as hateful. Stripped of all thought of these, caring nothing about them, one will return freely to Christ. One will look to heav and to the help coming from there, as in the scriptural sayings: 'I will cling close to you" (Psalm 62:9) and 'I have not grown tired of following you nor have I longed for the day or the rest that man gives' (Jeremiah 17:16)."
Funky Dung
Comments 4
Whence the quotes?
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Posted 02 Aug 2006 at 8:25 pm ¶Citation added. Thanks for the reminder.
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Posted 03 Aug 2006 at 9:29 am ¶I was thinking along these lines just the other day, and wondering how possible it is as a human? We love our friends because they are present and tangible in our lives, and not in a way we have to explain or justify. I don't want to get into the argument about how tangible God is in our lives, but is it possible to have the kind of reactionary clinginess with God that we have we people we see and hear, and whose emotions and approval or disapproval we can see in living color immediately on their face.
I wondered if a better model wouldn't be to love God as a spouse of many years. Unlike friends, old spouses can't or shouldn't be tucked away when they grow distant or displeasing - we have to work to love them even when we don't by our natures feel like it. It seems it's that way with loving God. Loving friends is a spontaneous response. Loving God is a duty - a religio.
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Posted 03 Aug 2006 at 9:21 pm ¶i think either analogy would work, but, given that St john is speaking to monks, a friendship analogy might work better. i see what you mean about old spouses, but old friends are a relationship to be fought for as well. the closer, longer, older friendships are things you will fight for rather than just let go when things get tough. it's not as if friends never fight. it's not as if close friendships are always easy.
i think that's St john's point. that we will fight for our old friendships (and, as you said, old spouses would work as well). why will we do anything to restore friendships, to help a friend who is grieving, but not do the same for God? we should do the same for God. we should even do *more* for God.
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Posted 04 Aug 2006 at 9:41 am ¶Post a Comment