Cultivating Christian Virture: Highlights from The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus

St. John Climacus, also known as St. John of the Ladder, described salvation as a ladder, The Ladder of Divine Ascent. He understood the spiritual life as exercising Christian Virtue and overcoming our tendency to sin (what he called passions.) St. John describes each virtue acquired or passion overcome as a rung in the ladder the leads to Heaven. This year’s Orthodoxy 101 offering will be a discussion of St. Johns metaphor for salvation as a practical guide to our own relationship with God.

An annual lecture series taking place immediately after Presanctified Liturgies. It will last approximately 30-40 minutes followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion along with a Lenten meal.

Session I: March 5
Breaking With the World

Renouncing and detaching from worldly values is often the first step in real spiritual growth. Here we will discuss what it means to be in the world but not of the world, and why St. John and scripture say this is critical to our salvation.

Session II: March 12
The Practice of the Fundamental Virtues

There are many Christian virtues. Chief among them are obedience to God, repentance of sins, and mindfulness of our mortality. We will discuss how the practice of these seemingly difficult virtues frees us to love God and one another.

Session III: March 26
Wrestling with Sin

St. John talks about our sin as “passions”. Anger, Idle talk, despondency and greed are few of the stumbling blocks in our spiritual life. We will explore how these difficulties disrupt our relationship with God, and what St. John recommends to overcome them.

Session IV: April 2
The Higher Virtues

Simplicity, humility, stillness and prayer are some of the fruits of Life in Christ. Here we will talk about how to pursue them and the benefit of doing so.

Session V: April 9
Love

Love is the last rung on St. Johns ladder and the highest of the Christian virtues. Learning to love, in the truest sense of the word, is not a simple matter of affection. It is the culmination of our spiritual life, and when understood properly, it is the key to salvation. We will look at how scripture and St. John presented the unconditional love of God, and how it can change our lives and save our souls.