People try to find happiness all the time. It is a part of our nature to look for it. In the Gospel, the Lord promises His apostles, and by extension to all of us, "Your sorrows will turn into everlasting joy." Too often, however, people find that their happiness does not last, and their solace and comfort are only an illusion. Frustrated, they continue to look elsewhere, but the more they search, the more they lose their peace and comfort. Their lives become a bottomless void they do not know how to fill. The everlasting joy that the Lord promises to all His children is out of their reach.
As we celebrate the Sunday of Saint John Climacus four weeks into the Great Lent, the Church invites us to examine if we are looking for the promised joy in the right place. Are we giving too much weight to material things? Are we letting our sinful passions take us prisoner? It reminds us to turn our eyes to God, feel His presence in us, and pray that our relationship with Him lasts and deepens.
In his famous book, “The Ladder of Divine Ascent”, Saint John Climacus challenges us to step out of our comfort zone and depart on a spiritual journey. He dares us to rise above the sinfulness of the world. He portrays the journey before us in the image of a ladder of thirty steps.
Our ascent on the ladder is a lifetime project. Progress will be long and arduous, and temptations will be many. Yet it is still a journey of great hope because it leads us to the Lord and His Kingdom of Heaven. John Climacus' ladder is similar to one that the prophet Jacob saw in his vision at Bethel: its top reaching heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending on it. It is nothing like the mountain of the Greek athlete Sisyphus, condemned to rolling up a boulder for the rest of his life, only to see it tumble down from the top.
As shown in the icon of Saint John Climacus, many people are climbing the ladder toward Christ. We can see multiple shadowy figures pulling some of them off of the ladder, and these represent the demons and the demonic forces. Yet the Lord is waiting for them at the top. The holy angels are greeting them. Standing amid his brethren, St. John Climacus himself is praying for those on the ladder to persist in their divine ascent.
Each day in our continuing Lenten journey is like going up the ladder of Saint John Climacus. As we endure in our fasting, intensify our prayer life and engage in almsgiving, we come closer to our prize in heaven, The angels of God and all of the saints helping us do this spiritual work.
Hopefully, our spiritual journey up the ladder will become better and more Christ-like every day. Some days, we may find ourselves off track, distracted or maybe off the ladder. But the Lord always gives us a chance to do better. He sends us His grace to continue our ascent and welcome us into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Alexander Piskounov
