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Dear Parish Faithful,
GREAT LENT - The Thirty-Third Day
Since last Sunday was the Fourth of Great Lent, on which we commemorated St. John Klimakos, this week is something of the "week of St. John." As this week comes to a close, I am sharing some of St. John's aphoristic-style sayings, many of which are memorizable as well as sober and much to the point.
These sayings are found in his classic The Ladder of Divine Ascent. They are placed in between STEP 26 (On Discernment) and STEP 27 (On Stillness). The last four STEPS - 27-30 - are grouped together expressing St. John's teaching on these final virtues that lead us to God and His Kingdom: Stillness, Dispassion, Prayer and ultimately On Faith, Hope and Love. So, right before these last four STEPS, St. John has a section entitled "A Brief Summary of All the Preceding Steps." This section is, then, a look back at the previous 26 STEPS to remind the reader of what has gone before, as a prelude to what is yet to come with the "highest" virtues. It is about four pages long, so I simply chose some of the ones that are both short and striking.
If anyone is willing to share a "favorite," and perhaps further comment on the saying's impact on you, please do so. I would very much like to hear from you!
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"Unwavering hope is the gateway to detachment. The opposite of this is perfectly obvious."
"A condemned man on his way to execution does not discuss the theatre. A man genuinely lamenting his sins will never pander to his stomach."
"A gloomy environment will cure open pride, but only He who is invisible from all eternity can cure the pride hidden within us."
"Iron is drawn willy-nilly by a magnet. A man in the grip of bad habits is mastered by them."
"Fire does not give birth to snow., and those seeking honor here will not come to enjoy it in heaven."
"It is dangerous to climb a rotten ladder, and in the same way all honor, glory and power pose a danger to humility."
"A man eager for salvation thinks of death and the judgment in the same way that a starving man thinks of bread."
"Like the sun's rays passing through a crack and lighting up the house, showing up even the finest dust, the fear of the Lord on entering the heart of a man shows up all his sins."
"One spark has often set fire to a great forest, and it has been found that one good deed can wipe away a multitude of sins (cf. James 3:5; 5:20)
"A man in a fever ought not to commit suicide. And right up to the moment of death we should not despair."
