At one point in his extraordinary life, he withdrew into a cave for twenty years, so that he could better meditate on the Glory of Almighty God . . . and also on the spiritual steps that are required to perceive that Glory with a clear, focused gaze.
During his long years of self-denial and inner scrutiny, the Venerable John Climacus of Mt. Sinai
A supremely accomplished mystic, the Venerable John was a simple man who lived a simple, down-to-earth life. Avoiding extremes, he chose moderation in everything he did. For John Climacus – who would spend much of his life (483-563 A.D.) struggling inwardly at a renowned monastery located only a few feet from the site of the “Burning Bush” miracle that had stunned the Prophet Moses a thousand years before – monastic living was mostly a matter of learning how to curb your own vanity, in order to better worship the Lord God of the Universe.TAKEN FROM
Like the Great Preacher in the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes who taught that “All is vanity,” St. John St. John’s entire life was dedicated to answering this question, which has both delighted and tormented the Holy Church since her very earliest days – when Christ Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee in search of those he might save through his Gospel of Love and Redemption.
For the saintly John Climacus, who would spend more than sixty years under intense spiritual discipline at the monasteries of Mt. Sinai
Vanity springs out in front of each virtue. When I keep a fast, I am given over to vanity, and when I in concealing the fasting from others permit myself food, I am again given over to vanity – by my prudence. Dressing up in bright clothing, I am vanquished by love of honor and, having changed over into drab clothing – I am overcome by vanity. If I stand up to speak -- I fall under the power of vanity. If I wish to keep silence, I am again given over to it.
Wherever this thorn comes up, it everywhere stands with its point upwards. It is vainglorious . . . on the surface to honor God, and in deed to strive to please people rather than God. . . . People of lofty spirit bear insult placidly and willingly, but to hear praise and feel nothing of pleasure is possible only for the saints and for the unblameworthy. . . .
Wherefore whoever is not faithful in the small things, that one also is not faithful in the large, and is vainglorious. It often happens, that God Himself humbles the vainglorious, sending a sudden misfortune. . . . If prayer does not destroy a proud thought, we bring to mind the leaving of the soul from this life. And if this does not help, we threaten it with the shame of the Last Judgment. . .
As this selection from The Ladder makes clear, the Venerable John Climacus was an exquisitely good writer with a gift for both precision and elegant phrasing. And yet he was also the simplest of men, with little regard for his own accomplishments. Born around 483, he was reportedly the son of two pious Christian saints – Xenophones and Maria – who made sure that he obtained an excellent education, while also learning Sacred Scriptures and Church teachings.
By the age of sixteen, this precocious young man had already found his way to the Mt. Sinai Monastery, located where Moses had once walked. A willing and eager pupil, he would study for more than nineteen years under the supervision of the saintly monk Martyrius. Then, almost immediately after the death of his beloved mentor, this passionate monk would retreat to the desert for many years of ascetic wandering in search of the Ineffable. Here he ate only what the landscape had to offer him – prickly herbs, dates, and occasional wild vegetables that grew in the dry gullies and along the windy crags. Sleeping on the bare earth each night, he exulted in his freedom from worldly encumbrances and praised Almighty God continually.
Eventually, having reached the age of about 45, this weather-beaten and time-tested devotee would be chosen as the Abba, or Father, of the monks who lived atop Mt. Sinai
In the years after the pious monk’s death, many legends sprang up regarding his astonishing ability to communicate with the Beyond. In one of the most well known of these accounts, the Abbot John sent his youthful disciple (named Moses) off to perform a task on a hot summer afternoon. Having completed his assignment, the young man stretched out in the cool shadow of an enormous boulder, intent on taking a brief nap. Soon he was snoring loudly, blissfully unaware of the fact that his life was actually in growing danger.
The young man’s time had not come yet, apparently. While the youthful monk slumbered, his mentor was engaged in prayer in his cell. And then all at once, his orisons were interrupted . . . when he suddenly became filled with dread – somehow, he sensed that his dozing student was about to be killed! The frightened John Climacus spent the next half hour in fervent prayer for the safety of the lad. Again and again he begged Christ Jesus to protect his protégé from encroaching harm.
Later that afternoon, Moses returned to the monastery and thanked his mentor profusely for saving his life. While still asleep, as it turned out, the youth had experienced a dream in which St. John
Another well-known legend described how the monks were sitting down to supper one evening with 600 visiting pilgrims, when all at once they suddenly noticed a charismatic stranger in their midst. In a flash, everyone at the great refectory tables understood that the charming guest was none other than the great Prophet Moses, who had received the tablets containing the Ten Commandments only a few hundred yards from where they were now sitting. (The Prophet was smiling broadly, they later recalled, and seemed to be quite pleased that the monks had chosen his neighborhood for their holy residence.)
The life of St. John Climacus teaches us some valuable lessons about the vital importance of humility in our lives. Surely St. John
His was a life totally centered on God. To read his writings on the “Ladder of Perfection” is to come to know the holiness of this man. Although he spent most of his life at Mt. Sinai in Egypt , his powerful influence on generations of Christians who lived throughout the Holy Land has proved to be permanent.
Megalynarion
Like that lofty ladder which Jacob was reaching to the Heavens, even so, by your godly words, you have raised a ladder that brings all the faithful unto the heights of virtue, O blessed Father John.
Apolytikion in the Eighth Tone
With the streams of thy tears, thou didst cultivate the barrenness of the desert; and by thy sighings from the depths, thou didst bear fruit a hundredfold in labours; and thou becamest a luminary, shining with miracles upon the world, O John our righteous Father. Intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Kontakion in the First Tone
As ever-blooming fruits, thou dost offer the teachings of thy God-given book, O wise John, thou most blessed, while sweetening the hearts of all them that heed it with vigilance; for it is a ladder from the earth unto Heaven that conferreth glory on the souls that ascend it and honor thee faithfully.
