Fourth Sunday of Great Lent
St. John of the Ladder
In His talks about blessedness, the Lord depicts a heavenly heart (Matt. 5:1–12). It contains: humility; weeping and contrition; meekness and angerlessness; complete love of righteousness; perfect mercifulness; purity of heart; love of peace and peacemaking; suffering misfortunes, false accusations and persecution for the sake of the Christian faith and life. If you want heaven, be like this, and already here on earth you will have a foretaste of heaven, into which you will enter prepared, like a forenamed heir.
St. Theophan the Recluse
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“Let us set out with a good beginning on the path of ascent, though not without toil; for those who seek salvation have no other way.”
St. John of the Ladder
On the fourth Sunday of Great Lent, the Holy Church commemorates St. John of the Ladder — a great ascetic of Sinai and the author of the spiritual classic The Ladder of Divine Ascent, which for centuries has guided Christians in the life of prayer and repentance.
In this work, the saint presents the Christian journey to God as a ladder of thirty steps — from the struggle with passions to the acquisition of love and humility. Written with profound spiritual insight and practical wisdom, The Ladder holds a special place in the monastic and liturgical tradition of the Church. During Great Lent, it is often read in churches and monasteries, especially during the common meals.
St. John labored in the silence of the Sinai desert for many years, devoting himself to fasting, prayer, and watchfulness. He left behind not only a treasured book, but a living example of how one may ascend to God through patience, humility, and inner resolve.
May his prayers and teachings strengthen our own Lenten journey — that, overcoming every trial and inner obstacle, we may greet the Bright Resurrection of Christ with a pure heart.
