The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXII: On Vainglory, Part IV, and On Pride, Part I

Rarely do we acknowledge the extraordinary gift that God gave to his Church in the Desert fathers. It is precisely through their “living martyrdom” - their dying to self, to sin, and to the world, that they are able to guide us through the trials and tribulations of spiritual warfare. Their perception of our vulnerabilities as human beings was very acute. Humbled over and over again and acknowledging their sin and poverty before God, they came to see the many ways that the vices manifest themselves as well as the remedies to bring healing.

The spirituality that arises out of desert monasticism is not one among many. It is “the spirituality” of the church. It is a manifestation of the deepest exercise of faith. In this the desert fathers became living icons of the gospel. For this reason, it is often acknowledged that “wherever we see renewal within the life of the church, there are the desert fathers.” 

Saint John Climacus draws us into where the fiercest warfare takes place – the human ego. We often seek to place the self at the center of existence and so open ourselves up to the spirit of vainglory and pride. When these take hold of us they close the door to repentance and healing. Furthermore, St. John tells us, they lead to a kind of “madness”. They distort our perception of reality. We can no longer see God or the truth about ourselves. And we see others not as the object of our love and compassion. Rather we become pitiless inquisitors and inhuman judges. Thus, it has often been said that a prideful monk has no need to be attacked by the demons because he has become a demon himself. This is true for all of us.

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Text of chat during the group:

00:05:03 FrDavid Abernethy: page 169 paragraph 40   00:25:10 Louise: Could we say that pride usually prevents people to acknowledge that they are under a spell or diabolically influenced, while it is obvious to others given the incongruence of their behaviors?   00:37:06 Anthony: It sounds then that the bad things attributed to Vatican 2 is an example of poor formation.   00:44:53 Louise: Affirmation ''therapy'' is not psychotherapy, but an obligation from the psychological boards. Otherwise, a psychologist looses his or her license.   00:45:37 Louise: This affirmation therapy applies to transgenderism.   00:46:36 sue and mark: louise, interesting.  I had not heard that.  thank you   00:48:31 David Swiderski: The book Orthodox Psychotherapy the science of the Fathers is very interesting on thsi subject.   01:04:12 David Swiderski: I loved that about Mother Teresa . A penicl in the hand of God. Not the hand not the author of what flowed through her.   01:10:07 Michael Hinckley: I always saw San Filippo as a precursor to Padre Pio   01:11:09 Anthony: When we crave entertainment like novels or movies - orvevrn news and talk radio - we open the door to the thoughts of others, to tell a story, and often the storytelling and acting makes vices into virtues. Even if it's not overt, the presentation undermines right thinking and behavior and causes future problems.   01:11:52 sue and mark: Reacted to "When we crave entert..." with 👍   01:12:22 Lee Graham: Reacted to "When we crave entert…" with 👍   01:13:07 Lee Graham: Reacted to "I loved that about M…" with ❤️   01:22:17 Rachel: That is so true!!   01:22:36 Rachel: Haha   01:23:39 Rachel: Thank you!   01:23:41 David Swiderski: Thank you Father   01:23:48 sharonfisher: And with your spirit!   01:23:50 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂   01:23:52 sue and mark: good night.  thank you   01:23:53 Cindy Moran: Thank you Father   01:23:55 Michael Hinckley: Santa Notte