The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXVII: On Stillness of Mind and Body, Part VII

St. John draws us into the experience of stillness and its many fruits. It is a precious gift that comes to us by the grace of God and takes root in a heart prepared through years of asceticism and watchfulness. It is our waiting upon God. 

In many ways this sums up the vocation of the hermit/monk. But it also captures the essence of our life and the life of prayer. We are ever waiting upon God to act in our life and we seek to cultivate in our hearts a receptivity to his will and grace. This is the active life, the fulfillment of the vocation for the Hesychast and of all Christians. 

The temptations that come are always going to be things that draw one out of that stillness; loneliness, despondency, etc.  Whether monk or Christians in the world we must allow ourselves to remain within the crucible of stillness. When we feel lonely and isolated, when we are agitated, our tendency is to run to others or to things within the world. This crucible purifies the desire of our hearts and our faith. 

Are we able to give our will over to God? Can we trust that he will make of our lives that which endures to eternity? So often we are set upon fixing, undoing or changing the circumstances of our life that seem inconsistent with what is good or what will lead to a sense of fulfillment. However, when we long for God and when we turn to his love, we become free from being tossed about by the chaos of life. Our hearts find rest only in the Lord - He who is an eternal rock.

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Text of chat during the group:

00:03:46 Bob Cihak, AZ: P. 229, #57

 

00:16:25 Ambrose Little, OP: Happy feast day, Fr. Charbel!

 

00:27:38 Erick Chastain: The rule of St Benedict even says that there is no eating outside of the communal mealtime. So those who follow the rule outside of the monastery can follow this too.

 

00:32:22 Anthony: Maybe it could be a person who entered this kind of life is not called to

it?

 

00:34:13 Art: My family has been out of the country for 2.5 weeks.  I’ve been trying to give myself a little taste of the solitary life from the little I know. I’m sure my attempt is laughable compared to monks, but I still found it hard!

 

00:34:14 Callie Eisenbrandt: Can this be related to like normal life? Separating yourself from the world work on your relationship with the Lord - It is difficult to find a "good" community with support - so how is one supposed to mimic this when they are in society

 

00:43:01 Una: Blessed name day, Fr. Charbel. Any books or sources of his teachings you can recommend?

 

00:45:11 Cindy Moran: This might seem nuts but I waited until God sent me a mate who loves Jesus more than me

 

00:45:51 Anthony: "Love is a Radiant Light" is, I believe,  a collection of St Charbel homilies

 

00:46:15 Nypaver Clan: Reacted to "This might seem nuts..." with 🥰

 

00:47:15 Callie Eisenbrandt: Connect me Father! lol

 

00:49:11 Callie Eisenbrandt: haha thank you

 

00:51:00 Susanna Joy: A cruise / retreat would be good...count me in!

 

00:52:25 Anthony: In my experience, the torrents of unwelcome thoughts are a military maneuver to draw one's attention to the head and away from a still heart.

 

00:53:23 susan: for the sake of the 10 good men   God saved the city

 

00:54:22 Susanna Joy: Ok!

 

00:54:59 Susanna Joy: Mountains in Maine and prayerful company😊

 

00:55:08 Leilani Nemeroff: Agree about being trapped on a boat!

 

01:03:45 Susanna Joy: Crucible

 

01:12:44 Una: What chapter are we in?

 

01:13:10 Una: Thanks. I'm new

 

01:13:32 Nypaver Clan: Replying to "Thanks. I'm new"

 

P. 230

 

01:13:44 Nypaver Clan: Replying to "Thanks. I'm new"

 

#67

 

01:14:11 Nypaver Clan: Replying to "Thanks. I'm new"

 

😇

 

01:18:33 Nypaver Clan: God bless you on your Feast Day, Fr. Charbel!  🙏🏼

 

01:18:41 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂

 

01:19:29 Andrew Adams: Thank you, Father!

 

01:19:30 Jeff O.: Thank you Father, great to be with you all.

 

01:19:47 Cindy Moran: Thank you, Father, wonderful session.

 

01:19:49 Ann’s iPad: God Bless you Father

 

01:19:56 Leilani Nemeroff: Thank you! Happy name day!

 

01:20:03 Lilly (Toronto, CA): Book title?