V. REV. FR. AARON WARWICK
St. Mary Orthodox Church
Wichita, KS
“Humility is the only virtue that no devil can imitate. If pride made demons out of angels, there is no doubt that humility could make angels out of demons.”
— St. John Climacus
On the 4th Sunday of Lent, we commemorate Saint John Climacus, author of “The Ladder of Divine Ascent.” St. John’s book outlines 30 “rungs” we must climb on the spiritual ladder. On this Sunday, churches offer for veneration the icon of the Ladder of Divine Ascent, which shows people at all stages of the ladder being pulled off by demons.
Unfortunately, in our spiritual ascent, it is not only the demons who pull us off this ladder, too often we are pushing and pulling each other off! We can engage in such “demonic” behavior in multiple ways. Perhaps we fast from food, but as St. John Chrysostom said, we still “eat our brother” by gossiping about him. At other times, we find ourselves condemning others, viewing their sins as worse than our own. Or, perhaps, we steal from those in need—St. Basil said that if we have one coat on our back and one in our closet, we are stealing from the poor.
This Lenten season, we have an opportunity to help others stay on the Ladder. We do this by showing them the same mercy we want God to show us, whether that’s looking after their spiritual needs or material necessities. May the Resurrected Lord give us the strength to encourage others to stay on the Ladder during this holy season!
