Great Lent for us, as Orthodox Christians, is a journey toward transformation. This week, the church remembers St. John Climicus, a seventh century monk from Egypt, who wrote a book called, “The Ladder of Divine Ascent.” In this book, St. John lists 30 stages of spiritual development to help us on our journey toward transformation. The steps are:
- Turn backs on world
- hold all things with open hands
- live as strangers
- practice obedience (obedience)
- turn backs on sin
- remember our mortality
- be realistic about life
- bend without breaking
- let the past be the past
- keep our mouths shut, part 1
- keep our mouths shut, part 2
- speak the truth (truth)
- escape from boredom
- control our eating habits
- keep ourselves pure (purity)
- let go of things that hold us, part 1
- let go of things that hold us, part 2
- get serious
- stay awake
- stay alert
- face our fears
- humble ourselves
- beat pride
- live meekly
- develop humility (humility)
- discern God’s will for our lives
- learn how to be still (prayer)
- seek union with God through prayer (theosis)
- grow beyond our passions
- achieve the heights of the virtues (Love)
*The Above list is adapted from: “Journey through Great Lent”-Teacher guide.
And there is an icon that was developed to depict these stages, and represents the Christian struggle toward transformation, and our desired Salvation. So, may this week be, for us, a week of reflection about our own Christian journey. And may we work toward increasing our prayer and fasting as we anticipate the celebration of Christ’s glorious resurrection.