Saint Who?
Saints Who Taught about Prayer
Saint John Climacus
Abbot († 649) Feast: March 30
The path to attaining spiritual perfection is like a ladder, John wrote, a series of steps by which we travel toward God. John titled his famous work about this journey The Ladder of Divine Ascent, and the surname by which he has since become known—Climacus—comes from the Greek work for stairs.
John became a monk at Mount Sinai, Egypt, when he was sixteen years old. Later, he lived for many years as a hermit, although he joined other hermits and monks each Saturday and Sunday for Mass and the Divine Office. They noted his rigorous fasting, humility, and knowledge of the Bible, and they began to ask for his spiritual direction. When a monk publicly criticized John for talking too much—perhaps out of jealousy—John accepted the criticism as valid and spent almost an entire year in silence.
By then, the entire community begged him to speak, gently suggesting that he was “burying his talents” instead of sharing them with others. John acquiesced, and another abbot asked him to write down his spiritual advice. John’s Ladder was the result, a book containing thirty chapters or steps by which a soul climbs toward God. John concludes his work with the exhortation: “Ascend, my brothers, ascend eagerly. Let your hearts’ resolve be to climb.”
Almighty God, help us climb the ladder of holiness.
