With stunning clarity, St. John Climacus begins to show us the subtlety of vainglory; how easily it draws us to focus upon the self in one fashion or another. It suggests thoughts that elevate us in our own eyes and diminishes others in our judgment.
Through vainglory we begin the movement of placing ourselves in the position of God; placing the self at the center of the spiritual life. The battle becomes ever so fierce and dangerous because at this point the focus of the demons’ attention is on our virtues. The demons make them the object of our attention. In doing so they turn us away from God who is the beginning and end of all things.
And with the self firmly planted at the center, we are easily driven to rage and wrath towards anyone who gets in our way. In the end, St John will show us how this gives birth to pride and how it draws us into the very darkness of hell itself.
---
Text of chat during the group:
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXV: On Humility, Part III
The Evergetinos: Book Two - Hypothesis I, Part II
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXV: On Humility, Part II
The Evergetinos: Book Two - Hypothesis I, Part I
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIV: On Meekness, Part IV and XXV: On Humility, Part I
The Evergetinos - Conclusion of Volume One
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIV: On Meekness, Part III
The Evergetinos - Hypothesis XLVI, Part I
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIV: On Meekness, Part II
The Evergetinos - Hypothesis XLV, Part VIII
Searching the Depths of the Unconscious: The Desert Fathers and Psychoanalysis
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIII: On Pride, Part V and Chapter XXIV: On Meekness, Part I
The Evergetinos - Hypothesis XLV, Part VII
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIII: On Pride, Part IV
The Evergetinos - Hypothesis XLV, Part VI
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIII: On Pride, Part III
The Evergetinos - Hypothesis XLV, Part V
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIII: On Pride, Part II
The Evergetinos - Hypothesis XLV, Part IV
The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXII: On Vainglory, Part IV, and On Pride, Part I
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Hello Heaven Podcast
Devoted To Prayer
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
Rudolf Steiner Audio
Conspirituality