). The sacred Mount Sinai served as a refuge for Christian ascetics from the middle of the 3rd century, who took refuge here from persecution; others were taken here as captives by the Saracens. In the 4th century, when the persecution of Christians ended, monasticism was firmly established here. Hermits were attracted here by the sacred memories of the great events of the Old Testament, revealed here, and the wilderness of Sinai. Travelers say they have never seen a place more desolate than the Sinai Peninsula. Even wild animals they do not stay here long to live, but, having come here by chance from the desert of Arabia, they hasten to retire to places animated by the presence of animals. In the vicinity of Mount Sinai there were especially deserted places that were very convenient for solitary asceticism, and in one of them (Fola) he labored for many years. Before the accession to the throne of Justinian I, the ascetics of Sinai did not have a monastery - they had only one strong tower and near it a small temple, built by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena. In 557, under Emperor Justinian, at the request of the monks, a monastery was erected here.

Saint John came to Sinai 16 years old, attracted here by the glory of the monastic life of the Sinai hermits. Even his contemporaries-biographers did not know about the place of John's origin. Monk Daniel directly says: “What city and country raised and raised this valiant ascetic, to his asceticism, I can’t say exactly and reliably.” And then he continues: “And what city now has an inhabitant and feeds this all-wonderful man with incorruptible food, I don’t know at all. For he, too, now dwells in that city, about which the good-voiced singer, the holy Apostle Paul, speaks: "Our residence is in heaven"(). There he stays, saturated with an immaterial feeling of inexhaustible blessings, having accepted a worthy reward for his deeds and a reward for his labors, having inherited Heavenly Kingdom with those whose foot is already on the straight path (). And how John, for the sake of this immaterial blessedness, worked in a warlike body, of this, Daniel continues, I will tell with all clarity.

– This blessed John, when he had passed 16 years of bodily age – with the perfection of his mind even then he was likened to a millennium – gave himself up to the Great Bishop-God, as an immaculate and voluntary sacrifice. He raised his body to Mount Sinai, and his soul to the mountain of heaven; apparently having ascended the mountain, he approached the height of heaven, contemplating the invisible God with his mind. Having retired from the world, from the very beginning he loved meekness, adorned with humility, as the head of the “mental girl”, as a teacher of virtues. He cut off liberties and pride, and, having taken upon himself magnificent humility of wisdom, at the very entry into monastic life, with careful consideration drove away from himself this deceiver - self-indulgence and self-confidence. Having bowed his neck, he entrusted himself to a skillful spiritual mentor, wishing, under his guidance, to comfortably cross the dangerous abyss of passions. Having renounced worldly life, John began to behave among the monks like a minor, unable to speak, youth, as if his soul had neither its own mind nor its own will, but was completely devoid of its natural properties. And what is most surprising of all - with his extensive learning, John remained a humble monk, loving heavenly simplicity and did not exalt himself with his wisdom, humbled himself for God.

The mentor and leader of the Monk John - as Synchronus says - was Abba Martyrius. When, in the 20th year of his life, Martyry tonsured John into a monastic image, Abba Stratigius on that day predicted about him that he would be a great luminary of the universe - which later came true.

One day Abba Martyrius, with his disciple John, came to the great Anastasius of Sinai; Seeing them, Anastasius said to Abba Martyrius:

“Tell me, Martyrius, where did you get this student from, and who tonsured him into monasticism?”

“He is your servant, father, and I have tonsured him,” answered Martyrius.

And Anastassy said with surprise:

- Oh, Abba Martyrius! You tonsured the hegumen of Mount Sinai.

At another time, also taking this John with him, his mentor Abba Martyry went to the great old man John Savvait, who then lived in the desert of Guddy. As soon as the elder saw them, he got up, poured water, washed John's feet and kissed his hand; but Abba Martyria did not wash his feet. When, after this, the disciple of the elder Savvait Stephen asked the elder:

Why did you do that, father? Not a teacher, but a student, did he wash his feet and kiss his hand?

To this the old man replied:

“Believe me, child, that I did not know who this young monk was; I received the hegumen of Sinai, and I washed the feet of the hegumen.

Such were the prophecies of the holy Fathers of Sinai about the Monk John, when he was still a young monk, and they later came true in due time.

For 19 years, the Monk John accomplished the feat of his salvation in obedience to his spiritual father, after which he was forced to leave this saving path, since his spiritual father passed away into the afterlife. Having sent him, as it were, as an intercessor and intercessor for himself to the Heavenly King, - as monk Daniel writes about it, - John went into the field of silence, armed with the prayers of his mentor, as a powerful weapon for the destruction of strongholds (). For his solitary asceticism, John chose one very deserted place, called Fola, which was eight miles from the temple. He left his solitude only on holidays, on which he went to the temple for worship. In his desert, the monk spent forty years in labors, burning with Divine love, incessantly inflamed by its fire. But who is able to convey in words or describe in detail the exploits of the Monk John, which he went through secretly there? However, just as great things are known from small things, so also by some of the beginnings of his deeds we recognize the life of this saint, rich in virtues.

He ate everything that was not forbidden by the monastic vow, but he ate to an extremely small extent. And by eating everything, he wisely crushed arrogance, for he ate everything so that the mind would not be exalted by fasting, but by the smallness of what was eaten humbled the mistress and mother of voluptuous passions, i.e. overeating, crying out to her with the very poverty of the meal: "Shut up, stop it"(). By living in the wilderness and withdrawing from sojourn with people, the monk quenched the flame of carnal food, so that at last he was covered with ashes and completely extinguished. The love of money, which the holy Apostle Paul calls idolatry (), this valiant ascetic courageously avoided, distributing alms and denying himself the most necessary. Idleness and laziness, which weakens and mortifies the soul, he aroused to vivacity and labor, as if by a sting, by the memory of death. He loosed the nets and bonds of every passion and every sensual lust, binding himself with the immaterial bonds of sorrow and tears; and irritability was already mortified in him by obedience. Rarely visiting anyone, and even more rarely saying anything, he thereby killed, like a web, a leech-vanity. What can I say, Monk Daniel continues, about his victory over pride? What can I say about the great purity of heart, the beginning of which was initiated by this new Beseliel by obedience and which the Lord, the King of the heavenly Jerusalem, completed by visiting it with His presence, for without His presence the devil and his hordes cannot be overthrown. But where will I place in this wreath, Daniel continues, which we weave to the Monk John from praiseworthy words, the source of his tears, which we see not in many. And to this day, the secret place where these tears were shed is known: it is a very narrow cave in some solitude and foothills, located at such a distance from the cell of John and from other cells, which was enough not to be heard by people and block the way to vanity. This cell, to which John often came, became close to heaven from cries, sobs and invocations of God, the likes of which can only be heard from those who are cut with knives or burned with red-hot iron or deprived of their eyes. He slept to such an extent that only excessive wakefulness would not destroy the mind. Before going to bed, he prayed for a long time and wrote books, as, for example, he compiled a book called "The Ladder", from which he himself was later nicknamed the Ladder. The writing of books was John's means of driving away despondency. Yes, and his whole life was unceasing prayer and unparalleled love for God; for day and night, contemplating Him as in a mirror, in purity and purity, he did not want, or, more precisely, he could not be satisfied with this contemplation.

A certain monk named Moses, jealous of the virtuous life of the Monk John, begged to accept him as a disciple in order to learn from him true wisdom. In support of his request, Moses asked some honest elders to intercede for him; and they begged the Monk John to accept Moses as his disciple. One day St. John ordered Moses to spread land from one place to fertilize ridges for vegetables. Moses, having come to the indicated place, diligently carried out the ordered. At noon, when the intense heat set in, Moses, tired, lay down to rest under one huge stone and fell asleep. But the Lord, Who does not want His servants to suffer in any way, in His mercy saved Moses from sudden death, but delivered Saint John from sorrow. At that time, the Monk John was in his cell, and then a light drowsiness attacked him: in a dream he sees a certain magnificent man, who reproachfully said to John:

“Here you are, John, sleeping peacefully here, and meanwhile Moses is in danger.

The monk immediately got up and began to fervently pray for his disciple. When evening came and the disciple returned from his work, John asked him:

“Has anything unfavorable or unexpected happened to you?”

He replied:

“When I was sleeping at noon under one large stone, it suddenly fell and would have crushed me too, if I had not run away hastily from that place, since at that very moment it seemed to me that you, father, were calling me.

The humble-wise John glorified the good God for this miraculous salvation of the disciple from death, but he did not tell Moses anything about his vision.

Reverend John was a model of virtue for all and a doctor of invisible diseases. Once a certain brother, named Isaac, was greatly oppressed by a prodigal demon. Being in deep sorrow, that brother hastened to resort to this great John and with bitter weeping and sobbing told him about his struggle.

John said to Isaac:

- Let's stand, friend, both to prayer!

And they had not yet finished their prayer, and the suffering brother was still lying, bowed his face to the ground, as God had already done at the desire of His saint, for the prodigal demon fled from Isaac, driven away, as it were by a scourge, by the prayers of St. John. Thus the words of the Psalm of David were fulfilled: “He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, and He will hear their prayer”(). And the sick man, seeing himself healthy and completely freed from passion, was very surprised, and he also thanked God, who glorified His servant John, glorifying the Lord with his miracles.

Some of John's ill-wishers, driven by envy, called John an idle talker and a liar. He, having reasoned with them, by the very deed proved to everyone that “everything can (not only use words, but also silence) in Christ strengthening all (Jesus) "(). And he kept silence for a whole year, without saying one word to them so that his critics turned into petitioners: for they knew that it was not necessary to stop the ever-flowing source of benefit, and, having come to him, begged him to open his divine-speaking lips again. .

Then everyone, marveling at his success in everything, like a certain newly-appeared Moses, by force elevated John to the position of the head of the monastery, thus placing this lamp on the head candlestick. Having accepted the abbess of Mount Sinai, although against his will, John in spirit approached the mountain of God, perceived the incomprehensibility of God and approached God through the ascent of the mind and received the God-written law; opened his mouth to receive the word of God; drew the spirit () to himself and from the good treasure of his heart () poured out good words of salvation.

So, after forty years of monastic deeds, John, being 75 years old from his birth, was elected abbot of Mount Sinai. “And the good connoisseurs were not deceived when they placed this lamp on the top shelf,” Monk Daniel remarks. The Lord was pleased with this election, which was revealed by a special miraculous event. One of the biographers, unknown by name, tells that a little after John was installed as abbot, about 600 wanderers came to their monastery. When all the wanderers with the Sinai brethren sat down at the table, an unknown steward appeared, dressed in a white tunic, similar to the Jewish one, and imperiously gave orders to the employees at the table. When the guests dispersed and the attendants sat down at the meal, the wonderful manager was no longer visible. To the perplexed monks, the Monk John said:

- Stop looking: then the holy prophet and lawgiver Moses served in this place, which belongs to him.

One summer there was a lack of rain and a great drought in the Palestinian countries. Local residents came to the Monk John, asking him to pray to God for rain. And as soon as the Monk John prayed, an abundant rain immediately fell and, having watered the dried-up earth, made it fruitful.

When the time of the death of Saint John drew near, he piously instructed all the brethren of the Sinai monastery—these spiritual Israelites of his. Only in one thing did John not become like Moses, for the Monk John entered with his soul into the Jerusalem on high, while Moses did not reach the distant Jerusalem with his body.

When this new Moses, the most reverend hegumen John, departed to the Lord, then his brother, Abba George, stood before him, shedding tears and saying:

“So you leave me and go away. And I prayed that you sent me; because without you, my lord, my strength will not be able to shepherd your holy retinue: and behold, on the contrary, I am sending you.

And Saint John said to this:

– Do not grieve and do not grieve: if I gain boldness from the Lord, I will not allow you to die even a year after me.

This came true. For in the 10th month after the repose of blessed John, and Abba George, his brother, departed to the Lord, to stand before Him together with his brother the Monk John in the glory of the saints, glorifying the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Saint John ruled the holy monastery of Sinai for a short time, no more than four years. But the short-term administration of his Sinai was marked by a very important circumstance: it was at this time that he wrote such a famous and such a wonderful creation, called the "Ladder", from which John himself received the name of the Ladder.

The reason for writing "Ladder" was the following. At a distance of two days' journey from Sinai was the Raifa Monastery, located in a very picturesque bay of the Red Sea. At the time when the monk ruled the Sinai monastery, St. John was also hegumen of the Raifa monastery. Having heard a lot about the spiritual gifts of the hegumen of Sinai, about his deep wisdom in managing those entrusted to him for the salvation of souls, the hegumen of Raifa wrote a letter to Ladder, in which, on his own behalf and on behalf of all the monks of his monastery, he asked him to write a guide for them in the spiritual and moral ascetic life. “Knowing your obedience about the Lord in everything unquestioning and adorned with all the virtues,” wrote St. excellent teacher, with this message of ours we implore the height of your virtues... do not refuse to be lazy in the Lord for our salvation to clearly outline what is necessary and appropriate for monastic life, as a truly great leader of all those who have also chosen an angelic life, not considering what we have said for any obsequiousness or flattery. For you know, truly sacred chapter, that flattery is alien to us and that we repeat only what is approved by everyone. Therefore, we assure ourselves in the Lord that we will soon receive and kiss the venerable inscriptions on the tablets that we expect, into a true guide for those who follow, steadily, and as if a ladder stands on the ground (), which raises those who wish to the gates of heaven safe and sound, so that they will pass unhindered they are the spirits of malice, and the rulers of the world of darkness, and the princes of the air. For if Jacob, the shepherd of the dumb sheep, saw such a strange vision in the ladder (), then is it not even more so that the leader of the verbal sheep will show everyone not only a vision, but also in fact and in truth itself an infallible ascent to God? Be strong, O Lord, most venerable father!

The Monk John had such a modest opinion of himself that this message from the Abbot of Raifa confused him. The monk also answered him with a message:

- I received, - wrote Ladder, - to me, poor and poor in virtues, your venerable writing sent by you, it is better to say a prescription and a command that exceeds my strength; and I will say that if there were no fear and great danger of overthrowing the yoke of obedience - this mother of all virtues, then I would not unreasonably dare to do a deed that exceeds my strength. You, wonderful father, should have asked about this and learned this from those who know this matter well; and I am still in the rank of students. But inasmuch as our God-bearing fathers and true knowledge of secret places deliver obedience in that in matters exceeding our strength, undoubtedly obey those who command, then I humbly decide on what is higher than me; with fear and zeal I proceed to fulfill your holy command; but to you, chief leader and chief of teachers, I leave it to decorate, to clarify the outline with it, and, as the executor of the tablets of the spiritual law, to make up for what is insufficient. For your sake, I begin this work, imploring all readers, if anyone sees anything useful in my work, to gratefully impute this fruit to our excellent boss, and I ask God for a reward for one performance of labor, because God does not reward for many gifts and labors, but for much diligence.

On this occasion, the creation of the Monk John, called the "Ladder", appeared.

The work of St. John is called "The Ladder" because St. John of Raifa desired to receive just such guidance in spiritual life, which would represent, as it were, a ladder of affirmations, which raises those who wish to the gates of heaven safe and sound, and according to the thought of its compiler himself. “With the meager knowledge that was given to me,” writes St. John, “I built the ladder of ascent. After that, let everyone look for himself at what level he has become. In the preface to The Ladder, the meaning of this title is explained as follows: “those who strive to have their names written in the book of life, this book shows the best way for their course. For as we walk along this path, we find that this book infallibly, as if by the hand, leads those who follow it and undoubtedly presents a fixed ladder from the earthly to the holy, and shows God affirmed at its top ... age according to the flesh; for in the form of the Lord's thirty years of maturity, he significantly built a ladder of 30 degrees, according to which, having reached the age of the Lord, we will be righteous and safe from falling. Thus, the creation of St. John is called the "Ladder" because it aims to represent the path of gradual ascent to moral perfection and is a true and reliable guide in spiritual life for those who are zealous for piety and the salvation of their souls.

The Ladder, although it was written specifically for monks and therefore has always been a reference book for monks living in a hostel, and the fathers of monastic life, among other things, Joseph Volokolamsky and others, referred to the Ladder in their instructions as the best book- nevertheless, a Christian living in the world can find saving guidance in it. The first step of the ladder is the renunciation of earthly passions, and at its very height the union of the three virtues is indicated - faith, hope and love.

To get acquainted with the instructions, let us listen to his instruction on vanity.

Vanity is shown with every virtue. When, for example, I keep a fast, I become conceited, and when, hiding the fast from others, I allow food, I again become conceited, with prudence. Having dressed in bright clothes, I am inspired by piety, and having changed into thin clothes, I am conceited. Will I speak? I fall into the power of vanity. Do I want to be silent? I surrender to him again. Wherever you turn this thorn, it will all become knitting needles up. The vainglorious is the Christian idolater. In appearance, he honors God, but in fact he tries more to please people than God... "He who pleases us deceives us", - says the prophet (). People of high spirit endure insult complacently and willingly; but only the saints and the blameless can listen to praise and not feel any pleasantness ... When you hear that your neighbor or friend scolds you in absentia or in your face; then show love by praising him... He does not show humility who scolds himself (how can he be unbearable to himself?), but who, dishonored by others, does not reduce his love for him... Who is exalted by natural gifts - a subtle mind, high education, his reading, pleasant pronunciation and other similar qualities that are easily acquired, he will never achieve supernatural blessings. For whoever is unfaithful in a little, he will be unfaithful and conceited in many ways (). It often happens that God Himself humbles the vain, sending unexpected dishonor... If prayer does not destroy the vain thought, let us think of the exit of the soul from this life. If this does not help, let us frighten him with the disgrace of the Last Judgment. "He who ascends will humble himself"() even here, before the next age. When the praisers, or, rather, our deceivers, begin to praise us, let us immediately bring to mind our many iniquities and find that we are unworthy of what they say about us, or what they do for us.

In general, the "Ladder" of St. John is distinguished by deep spiritual experience, which is combined with a deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. A rare thought is expressed by Ladder without highlighting it by direct or indirect reference to Holy Scripture. The writing of John is written in a simple, but pure and lively language - in a few words it expresses a lot, and therefore it is full of power.

In the Divine Liturgy of the Fourth Week of Great Lent, the Church offers a lofty example of fasting life in the person of the 6th century ascetic Saint John of the Ladder, who labored on Mount Sinai from the age of 17 to 80 and, in his work The Ladder of Paradise, depicted the path of a person’s gradual ascent to spiritual perfection along the ladder of the soul, leading up from the earth to everlasting glory. There are 30 such degrees in the "Ladder", according to the number of years of the Savior's earthly life before His entry into the public service of the human race.

Life of Saint John of the Ladder

Almost no information has been preserved about the origin of John of the Ladder. There is a tradition that he was born around the year 570 and was the son of Saints Xenophon and Mary, whose memory is celebrated by the Church on January 26th. At the age of sixteen, John came to the Sinai monastery. Abba Martyrius became the mentor and leader of the monk. Four years later, John took the tonsure. One of those present at the same time, Abba Stratigius, predicted that he would become a great lamp of the Church of Christ. For 19 years, John labored in obedience to his spiritual father. After the death of Abba Martyrius, the Monk John chose the life of a hermit, withdrawing to a deserted place called Fola, where he spent 40 years in silence, fasting, prayer and tears of repentance. It is no coincidence that in the "Ladder" St. John speaks of tears of repentance: "As fire burns and destroys brushwood, so a pure tear washes away all impurities, external and internal."

The Monk John had a disciple, the monk Moses. One day, the master ordered his student to put soil into the garden for beds. Fulfilling his obedience, due to the intense summer heat, monk Moses lay down to rest under the shade of a large cliff. The Monk John of the Ladder was at that time in his cell and was resting after prayer work. Suddenly, a venerable-looking man appeared to him and, waking up the holy ascetic, reproachfully said: “Why are you resting here quietly, John, while Moses is in danger?” The monk immediately woke up and began to pray for his disciple. When his disciple returned in the evening, John asked if anything bad had happened to him. The monk replied: “No, but I have undergone great danger. I was almost crushed by a large piece of stone that had come loose from the cliff under which I had fallen asleep at noon. Fortunately, it seemed to me in a dream that you were calling me, I jumped up and rushed to run, and at that time a huge stone fell with a noise on the very place from which I ran away ... ”

Gifted with a high penetrating mind, wise with deep spiritual experience, he lovingly taught all who came to him. One day, some people came to him, out of envy, reproaching him for verbosity, which they explained as vanity. The Monk John imposed silence on himself so as not to give grounds for condemnation, and remained silent for a year. The envious realized their delusion and themselves turned to the ascetic with a request not to deprive them of the spiritual benefit of the interview.

Hiding his exploits from people, the Monk John sometimes retired to a cave, but the fame of his holiness spread far beyond the boundaries of the place of exploits, and visitors of all ranks and states constantly came to him, thirsting to hear the word of edification and salvation. At the age of 75, after forty years of asceticism in seclusion, the monk was elected abbot of the Sinai monastery. For about four years, John of the Ladder ruled the holy monastery of Sinai.

Knowing about the wisdom and spiritual gifts of St. John, the Raifa abbot, on behalf of all the monks of his monastery, asked to write for them “a true guide for those who follow steadily, and, as it were, a fixed ladder, which raises those who wish to the Heavenly gates ...” The monk, who was distinguished by a modest opinion about himself, at first he was embarrassed, but then, out of obedience, he began to fulfill the request of the Raifa monks. John called his creation “The Ladder”, explaining the name as follows: “I built the ladder of ascent ... from the earthly to the holy ... in the image of the Lord’s thirty years of coming of age, I significantly built a ladder of 30 degrees, according to which, having reached the age of the Lord, we will turn out to be righteous and safe from falling.” The purpose of this creation is to teach that the achievement of salvation requires from a person difficult self-sacrifice and enhanced feats. The “Ladder” presupposes, firstly, the cleansing of sinful impurity, the eradication of vices and passions in the old man; secondly, the restoration in man of the image of God. Although the book was written for monks, any Christian living in the world receives in it a reliable guide for ascending to God.

The examples found in the "Ladder" serve as an example of that holy zeal for one's salvation, which is necessary for every person who wants to live piously, and the written presentation of the thoughts of the Monk John, which are the fruit of his many and refined observations of his soul and deep spiritual experience, is a guide and a great guide on the path to truth and goodness.

The degrees of the “Ladder” are a transition from strength to strength on the path of a person’s striving for perfection, which can not be achieved suddenly, but only gradually, for, according to the Savior’s word, “The kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it by force” (Matt. 11, 12).

After four years of managing the monastery, the monk returned to solitude and silence, and soon reposed in the Lord.

Sermons on Saint John of the Ladder

Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh

Repentance is our reconciliation with God
(Saint John of the Ladder)

Lent is a time of repentance, a time when our hardened hearts must, by the power of God, change from insensible to sensitive, from cold and hard to warm and open to others and to God Himself.

Lent is a time of renewal, when, as in spring, everything becomes new again; when our life, gradually fading away, barely flickering, revives again with the power that God can give us, drawing us into His Holy Spirit, making us in the Holy Mysteries and in the direct gift of Himself partakers of the Divine nature.

This is a time of reconciliation, and reconciliation is the joy of God and our joy; this is a new beginning.

Today the memory of St. John of the Ladder is celebrated, and I want to read to you a few of his words, which are especially significant for the period of the church year that we are now experiencing: “Repentance is our return to God, the renewal of our baptism; it is a feat performed in order to renew our union with God; it is our vow to change our lives. This is the time when we can learn humility, that is, peace: peace with God, peace with ourselves, peace with all creation.

Repentance is born from hope and a resolute rejection of despair. And the penitent is the one who deserves condemnation, but leaves the court without shame and disgrace, because repentance is our reconciliation with God. And it is achieved through a decent life, through a war with the sins that we committed in the past. Repentance is the cleansing of our conscience. Repentance is the readiness, without a word of murmuring and in the transfiguration of love, to endure any sorrow and any pain.

Let's ask ourselves: how can we reach such a state, how can we respond to the call of God, who accepts us, as the father accepted prodigal son? After all, He waited for us for so long, waited with longing when we rejected Him, and He never turned away from us! How can we respond to the call of such a God?

The answer may be the words of the same John of the Ladder about prayer: “Do not excel in prayerful eloquence, because our Heavenly Father is often pleased with the shy, uncomplicated babble of children. Do not verbose when talking to God, because otherwise, looking for words, you will get confused in them. For just one word, God pardoned the publican; one word of faith saved the thief on the cross. Verbosity in prayer disperses the mind and fills it with an abundance of images. A single word addressed to God gathers the mind in His presence. And if, when you pray, what word struck you in your heart, reached your very depths, - hold on to this word, repeat it, for at such moments the guardian angel himself prays with you, because then we are truthful and true to ourselves and to God. .

Let us begin to remember what Saint John of the Ladder says, even if my explanations are forgotten; let us remember his words, because he was a man who knew what it means to turn to God and stay with Him, to be joy for God and to rejoice in Him. Therefore, the Church invites us today, when we begin to ascend to passionate days, to honor St. John of the Ladder, because he is an example of how the grace of God can turn an ordinary, simple person into a lamp for the world.

Let us learn from him, let us follow his example, let us rejoice in what God can do with man by His power; and with confidence, with hope, with jubilant and at the same time with quiet, imperturbable joy, let us follow this advice - to listen to God, imploring us to find the path of life and telling us that with Him, in Him we will be alive, because He is the Truth, but so is the Way, and Eternal Life. Amen.

Word of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' after the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior on the 4th week of Great Lent, the feast day of St. John of the Ladder, April 3, 2011.

Prayers to Saint John of the Ladder

Troparion to Saint John of the Ladder

Thou didst cultivate barrenness with the streams of thy desert, and even from the depths of sighing a hundred labors Thou didst bear fruit, and Thou wast the lamp of the universe, shining miracles, John our Father, pray to Christ God, save our souls.

Kontakion to Saint John of the Ladder

The fruit of the ever-blooming, from your book bringing teachings to the wisdom, delight the hearts, this with sobriety heeding is blessed: the ladder is the soul that ascends from earth to heaven and abiding glory, by faith honoring you.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE LIFE OF ABBA JOHN,
hegumen of the holy mountain of Sinai, nicknamed a scholastic, a truly holy father,
compiled by the monk Raifa Daniel , an honest and virtuous husband

I cannot say with certainty in what memorable city this great man was born and brought up before his departure for the feat of battle, and what city now rests and feeds this marvelous with imperishable food, I know this. He now dwells in that city of which the eloquent Paul speaks, crying out: Our life is in heaven(Phil. 3, 20); he is saturated with an immaterial feeling of goodness, which cannot be satiated, and enjoys invisible goodness, spiritually comforted by spiritual (in the glory: “with the mind alone rejoicing in the Mind, mentally contemplated”), having received rewards worthy of feats, and honor for the labors, easily incurred - there heritage, and forever united with those whom leg ... a hundred on the right(Ps. 25:12). But how this material thing reached the immaterial forces and united with them, this I will try to explain as far as possible.

Being sixteen years of bodily age, while the perfection of the mind is a thousand years old, this blessed one offered himself as a kind of pure and spontaneous sacrifice to the Great Bishop and ascended in body to Mount Sinai, and in soul to the heavenly mountain with the intention, I think, to benefit from this visible place and the best instruction to achieve the invisible. And so, having cut off dishonest insolence by hermitage, this owner of our mental girls (that is, passions) (see: Word 10, 3), having taken on the magnificent humility of wisdom, at the very entry into the feat, he very prudently drove away seductive self-indulgence and self-confidence from himself; for he bowed his neck and entrusted himself to the most skilful teacher, so that, with his trustworthy guidance, he could infallibly swim across the stormy sea of ​​passions. Mortifying himself in this way, he had in himself a soul, as it were, without reason and without will, completely free and from the natural property, and even more amazing is that, having external wisdom, he was trained in heavenly simplicity. Glorious thing! For the arrogance of philosophy is not compatible with humility. Then, after nineteen years, having sent his teacher to the Heavenly King as a prayer book and intercessor, he himself goes to the field of silence, wearing strong to destroy the strongholds of weapons(2 Cor. 10, 4) - the prayers of the great (his father); and having chosen a place convenient for feats of solitude, five stages from the temple of the Lord (this place is called Fola), he spent forty years there in unremitting ascetics, always burning with burning zeal and Divine fire. But who can express in words and praise with a legend his labors carried out there? And how can one clearly represent all his work, which was a secret sowing? However, although through some of the main virtues we will be made aware of the spiritual wealth of this blessed man.

He used all kinds of food, without prejudice allowed to the monastic rank, but he ate very little, wisely crushing and through this, as I think, the horn of arrogance. So, with a lack of food, he oppressed her mistress, that is, the flesh, lustfully desiring much, crying out to her with hunger: Shut up, stop; by the same thing that he ate a little of everything, he enslaved the torment of love of glory; and by living in the wilderness and withdrawing from people, he quenched the flame of this (that is, bodily) furnace, so that it was completely incinerated and completely extinguished. By almsgiving and poverty in everything necessary, this courageous ascetic courageously escaped idolatry, that is, the love of money (Col. 3, 5), from the hourly death of the soul, that is, from despondency and relaxation (and) he raised the soul, arousing it with the memory of bodily death, as ostomy; and he resolved the interweaving of passion and all sorts of sensual thoughts with the immaterial bonds of holy sorrow. The torment of anger had already been mortified in him by the sword of obedience; by inexhaustible solitude and eternal silence, he killed the leech of cobweb vanity. What can I say about that glorious victory that this good mystery man won over the eighth maiden? (that is, pride, which is the eighth among the main eight passions).

What can I say about the extreme cleansing, which this Bezalel of obedience began, and the Lord of heavenly Jerusalem, having come, accomplished with His presence; for without this the devil cannot be defeated with his hordes conformable to him. Where I will place in our present weaving of the crown the source of his tears (a talent not found in many), whose secret worker remains to this day - this is a small cave located at the foot of a certain mountain; she was as far away from his cell and from any human dwelling as was necessary in order to block the ear from vanity; but she was close to heaven with sobs and cries, similar to those that are usually emitted by those who are pierced by swords and pierced by kindled iron or deprived of their eyes. He took as much sleep as was necessary so that the mind would not be damaged by vigil; and before sleep he prayed much and composed books; this exercise was his only remedy for despondency. However, all the course of his life was unceasing prayer and fiery love for God; for day and night, imagining Him in the lordship of purity, as in a mirror, he did not want, or, more precisely, could not be satisfied.

One of the monastics named Moses, jealous of the life of John, convincingly asked him to accept him as his disciple and instruct him in true wisdom; having moved the elders to intercession, Moses, through their requests, convinced the great man to accept himself. Once the Abba ordered this Moses to transfer from one place to another the land, which required fertilization of ridges for potions: having reached the indicated place, Moses without laziness fulfilled the command, but as at noon an extraordinary heat came (and then it was the last summer month), then he dodged under a large stone, lay down and fell asleep. The Lord, who does not want to grieve His servants in any way, according to His custom, warns the calamity that threatens him. For the great old man, sitting in his cell and meditating on himself and on God, bowed down in the most subtle sleep and sees a holy man who aroused him and, laughing at his sleep, said: “John, how do you sleep carelessly when Moses is in danger?” Jumping up immediately, John armed himself with prayer for his disciple; and when he returned in the evening, he asked him if some misfortune or accident had happened to him? The student replied: "A huge stone almost crushed me when I was sleeping under it at noon, but it seemed to me that you were calling me, and I suddenly jumped out of that place." The father, truly humble-wise, did not reveal anything from the vision to the disciple, but with secret cries and sighs of love he praised the good God.

This reverend was both a model of virtues and a doctor who healed hidden ulcers. Someone named Isaac, being very strongly oppressed by the demon of carnal lust and already exhausted in spirit, hastened to resort to this great one and declared his abuse to him with words dissolved by sobbing. The wondrous husband, marveling at his faith, said: “Come, friend, let us both stand in prayer.” And while their prayer was over and the afflicted one was still lying on his face, God fulfilled the will of His servant (Ps. 144:19) in order to justify the word of David; and the serpent, tormented by the beating of true prayer, fled; and the ill, seeing that he had got rid of the disease, with great surprise sent thanks to the glorified and glorified.

Others, on the contrary, instigated by envy, called him (St. John) an excessively talkative and idle talker. But he enlightened them by the very deed and showed everyone that all Maybe about strengthening all Christ(Phil. 4, 13); for he was silent for a whole year, so that his critics turned into supplicants and said: “We have blocked the source of eternal benefit to the detriment of the common salvation of all.” John, a stranger to contradiction, obeyed and again began to adhere to the first way of life.

Then everyone, marveling at his success in all the virtues, as if the newly-appeared Moses, involuntarily elevated him to the abbotship of the brethren, and, raising this lamp to the priesthood of the authorities, the good electors did not sin; for John approached the mysterious mountain, having entered into darkness, where the uninitiated do not enter, and being raised in spiritual degrees, he received the divinely ordained statute and vision. Opened the word of God mouth their, attracted the Spirit, vomited the word, and from the good treasure my heart uttered good words(Matthew 12:35). He reached the end of his visible life in the instruction of the new Israelites, that is, the monks, differing from Moses only in that he entered the heavenly Jerusalem, and Moses, I don’t know how, did not reach the earthly.

The Holy Spirit spoke through his mouth, many of those who were saved and are still being saved through him serve as witnesses to this. The new David was an excellent witness to the wisdom of this wise man and the salvation he provided (it is believed that the aforementioned Isaac is called the new David here).

Good John, our reverend pastor (Raifa hegumen) was a witness of the same. It was he who persuaded this new God-seer by his strong requests for the benefit of the brethren to descend in thought from Mount Sinai and show us his God-written tablets, which outwardly contain active guidance, and inwardly contemplative (that is, in the "Ladder" external words teach activity, and internal spiritual reason leads to vision).

With such a description I attempted to conclude a lot in a few words, for the brevity of a word has beauty even in the art of ornation. (A)

ABOUT THE SAME ABBA JOHN,
hegumen of Mount Sinai, that is, Ladder,
a monk from Sinai narrates,
who was, like Daniil Raifsky,
contemporary of the Rev. John

Once Abba Martyrius came with Abba John to Anastasius the Great, and this, looking at them, said to Abba Martyrius: “Tell me, Abba Martyrius, where did this lad come from and who tonsured him?” He answered: "He is your servant, father, and I tonsured him." Anastassy says to him: “Oh, Abba Martyrius, who would have thought that you had tonsured the hegumen of Sinai?” And the holy man did not sin: after forty years, John was made our igumen.

At another time, Abba Martyrios, also taking John with him, went to the great John Savvait, who was then in the desert of Guddia. Seeing them, the elder got up, poured water, washed the feet of Abba John and kissed his hand, but Abba Martyria did not wash his feet, and then, when his disciple Stefan asked why he did this, he answered him: “Believe me, child, I don’t know who is this lad, but I received the abbot of Sinai and washed the feet of the abbot.”

On the day of the tonsure of Abba John (and he took the tonsure in the twentieth year of his life), Abba Strategii predicted about him that he would one day be a great star.

On the very day that John was installed as our abbot, and when about six hundred visitors came to us and they were all sitting eating food, John saw a man with short hair, dressed in a Jewish shroud, who, like a kind of steward, went around and gave orders to cooks , housekeepers, cellarers and other ministers. When those people dispersed and the ministers sat down to eat, they looked for this one, who went everywhere and gave out orders, but they were not found anywhere. Then the servant of God, our reverend father John, says to us: "Leave him, Mr. Moses did nothing strange, serving in his place."

Once upon a time there was a lack of rain in the Palestinian countries, Abba John, at the request of the inhabitants there, prayed, and heavy rain came down. And there is nothing incredible here, because The will of those who fear Him will be done by the Lord, and their prayer will be heard(Ps. 144:19).

It is necessary to know that John of the Ladder had a brother, the wonderful abbot George, whom he appointed hegumen in Sinai during his lifetime, himself loving the silence, which this wise man at first dismayed himself. When this Moses, our venerable hegumen John, departed to the Lord, then Abba George, his brother, stood before him and said with tears: without you, my lord, to lead this squad, but now I have to see you off. Abba John said to him: “Do not grieve and do not worry, if I have boldness in the Lord, then I will not leave you to spend here even one year after me.” Which happened, for in the tenth month, then this one also departed to the Lord. (A)

MESSAGE
St. John, Abbot of Raifa, to Venerable John, Abbot of Mount Sinai

The sinful Raifa abbot wishes to rejoice in the Lord to the superior and angelic father of fathers and the most excellent teacher.

Knowing first of all your unquestioning obedience to the Lord, adorned, however, with all the virtues, and especially where it is necessary to multiply the talent given to you from God, we, the poor, use a truly miserable and insufficient word, recalling what is said in Scripture: ... ask your father, and your elders will tell you, and they will tell you(Deut. 32:7). And therefore, falling to you as the common father of all and the eldest in asceticism, the strongest in quickness of mind and the most excellent teacher, with this scripture we implore you, O head of the virtues, teach us, the ignorant, what you saw in the vision of God, like the ancient Moses, and on the same mountain, and state it in a book, as on God-written tablets, for the edification of the new Israelites, that is, people who have newly emerged from the mental Egypt and from the sea of ​​life. And just as you, in this sea, instead of a rod, with your divine-speaking tongue, with the assistance of God, worked miracles, then now, not despising our petition, deign in the Lord for our salvation, judiciously and without laziness, inscribe the laws that are characteristic and decent for monastic life, being truly a great mentor to all who began such a thing. Angelic residence. Do not think that our words come from flattery or flattery: you, O sacred head, know that we are strangers to such actions; but what everyone is sure of, that beyond any doubt, is visible to everyone and to which everyone testifies, then we repeat. So, we hope in the Lord to soon receive and kiss the precious inscriptions we expect on the tablets of these, which can serve as an infallible instruction for the true followers of Christ and, like a ladder, affirmed even to the heavenly gates (Gen. 28, 12), elevates those who choose to harmlessly , hordes of spirits of malice, the rulers of darkness and the princes of the air, passed without trouble and without restraint. For if Jacob, the shepherd of the dumb sheep, saw such a terrible vision on the ladder, how much more so the leader of the verbal lambs, not only by vision, but also by deed and truth (that is, not only by representing the figurative ladder of it in vision, but also by the virtues themselves, by its degrees depicted, experienced and true description) can show everyone an infallible ascent to God.

Hail in the Lord, most honest father!

ANSWER John wants to rejoice

I have received truly worthy of your high and passionless life and your pure and humble heart sent by you to us, the poor and wretched in virtues, your honest writing, or, rather, commandment and commandment, surpassing our strength. So, it is true for you and your sacred soul to ask for an instructive word and guidance from us, untrained and ignorant in deed and word, for it is used to always showing us in itself an example of humility. However, I will also say now that if we were not afraid to fall into great trouble by rejecting the holy yoke of obedience, the mother of all virtues, then we would not recklessly venture into an enterprise that surpasses our strength.

You, wondrous father, should, in asking about such subjects, learn from men who know this well, for we are still in the category of students. But as our God-bearing fathers and secret teachers of true knowledge determine that obedience is undoubted obedience to those who command and in those deeds that exceed our strength, then we, piously despising our weakness, humbly encroached on labor that exceeds our measure, although we do not think to bring you some benefit or explain something that you, the sacred head, know as well as we do. For not only I am sure, but everyone, I think, of those who are sane knows that the eye of your mind is pure from all earthly and gloomy indignation of gloomy passions and unhinderedly looks at the Divine light and is illuminated by it. But, fearing death, which is born from disobedience, and as if driven by this fear of obedience, I set about fulfilling your all-honorable command with fear and love, as a sincere novice and indecent slave of the most excellent painter, and with my meager knowledge and insufficient expression, only Having monotonously outlined the living words in ink, I leave it to you, the chief of teachers and the clerk, to decorate all this, to clarify and, as the executor of the tablets and the spiritual law, it is not enough to fill. And I am not sending this work to you, no, it would be a sign of extreme foolishness, for you are strong in the Lord not only to establish others, but also ourselves in Divine morals and teachings, but to the God-called squad of brethren who, together with us, learn from you , O chosen teacher! To them, through you, I begin this word; by their and your prayers, as if being lifted by some waters of hope, with all the weight of ignorance, I stretch out the sail of the reed and with all prayer I pass the helm of our words into the hands of our good companion. Moreover, I ask all the readers: if anyone here sees something useful, then the fruit of everything as prudent, let it be attributed to our great mentor, and let us ask God for this weak work, not on the poverty of the composition (truly any inexperience performed), considering, but accepting the intention of the offerer as a widow's offering (Paisius Velichkovsky: "widow's offer"), for God rewards not a multitude of gifts and labors, but a multitude of diligence.

MOBILE WORDS
ABBA JOHN,
hegumen of the monks of Mount Sinai, sent by him to abba John, hegumen of Raifa, who prompted him to this work

WORD 1 About the renunciation of the life of the world

1. Of all the venerable beings created by the good and all-good and all-good God and the King (for the word to the servants of God is proper and to begin from God), some are His friends, others are true servants, others are indecent servants, others are completely alien to Him, and others, finally, though weak, nevertheless resist Him. And His friends, O sacred Father, as we fools believe, are properly intelligent and incorporeal beings surrounding Him; His true servants are all those who do His will without hesitation and unremittingly, and those who, although they were worthy of baptism, did not keep the vows given at it as they should. Under the name of aliens to God and His enemies, one should understand the unfaithful or malevolent (heretics), and the opponents of God are those who not only did not accept and reject the commandments of the Lord, but also strongly arm themselves against those who fulfill it.

2. Each of the said states requires a special and decent word, but for us, the ignoramuses, in the present case it is not useful to state it at length. So, let us hasten now to fulfill the commandment of the true servants of God, who piously compelled us and convinced us by their faith; in undoubted (in unquestioning) obedience, let us stretch out our unworthy hand and, having received the reed of the word from their own mind, let us dip into the dark-looking, but luminous humility of wisdom; and on their smooth and pure hearts, as on some kind of paper, or, rather, on spiritual tablets, let us begin to paint Divine words, or rather Divine seeds, and begin like this:

3. Of all those endowed with free will, God is both the life and the salvation of all, faithful and unfaithful, righteous and unrighteous, pious and impious, impassive and passionate, monks and laymen, wise and simple, healthy and infirm, young and old; for all, without exception, enjoy the outpouring of light, the radiance of the sun, and the changes of the air; there is no favoritism with God (Rom. 2:11).

4. The ungodly is a rational and mortal creature, arbitrarily moving away from this life (God) and thinking about its Creator, who is ever-present, as if it does not exist. A transgressor is one who upholds the law of God according to his own wickedness and thinks to combine faith in God with an opposing heresy. A Christian is one who, as far as a man can, imitates Christ in words, deeds, and thoughts, rightly and without blemish believing in the Holy Trinity. A God-lover is one who makes use of everything natural and sinless and, according to his strength, tries to do good. Temperance is he who, in the midst of temptations, nets, and rumors, is jealous with all his strength to imitate the mores of a person who is free from all such things. A monk is one who, being clothed in a material and mortal body, imitates the life and state of the incorporeal. A monk is one who holds only God's words and commandments at all times, places, and deeds. The monk is the constant compulsion of nature and the unrelenting guardianship of the senses. A monk is one who has a purified body, pure lips and an enlightened mind. A monk is one who, grieving and sick in soul, always remembers and reflects on death - both in sleep and in vigil. The renunciation of the world is an arbitrary hatred of the substance praised by the worldly, and the rejection of nature in order to obtain those blessings that are higher than nature.

5. All those who diligently left the worldly things, no doubt, did this either for the sake of the future Kingdom, or because of the multitude of their sins, or out of love for God. If they did not have any of these intentions, then removing them from the world was reckless.

However, our good Ascetic expects what will be the end of their course.

6. He who came out of the world in order to get rid of the burden of his sins, let him imitate those who sit over the tombs outside the city, and let him not cease to shed warm and hot tears, and let him not interrupt his heart without vowel sobs until he will not see Jesus, who came and rolled away the stone of hardness from the heart, and our mind, like Lazarus, loosed from the bonds of sin and commanded His servants, the Angels: Allow it from passion and leave his iti(John 11:44) to blessed dispassion. If not, then (from the removal from the world) will not be of any use to him.

7. When we want to leave Egypt and flee from Pharaoh, then we also have the necessary need for a certain Moses, that is, an intercessor for God and for God, who, standing in the midst of deed and vision, would raise his hands to God for us, so that those who are instructed by him crossed the sea of ​​sins and defeated Amalek of passions. So, those who, having put their trust in themselves (Paisius Velichkovsky: “self-traitors”), were deceived, considered that they did not need any guide, for those who came out of Egypt had Moses as a mentor, and those who escaped from Sodom had an Angel. And some of them, that is, those who came out of Egypt, are like those who, with the help of doctors, heal spiritual passions, while others are like those who want to cast off the impurities of the accursed body, which is why they require an assistant - an Angel, that is, an equal-angelic husband, because, due to the rottenness of the wounds, it is necessary for us and the doctor is very skillful.

8. Those who have attempted to ascend to heaven with the body truly need extreme compulsion and unceasing sorrows, especially at the very beginning of renunciation, until our voluptuous disposition and insensitive heart are transformed by true weeping into love of God and purity. For work, truly work and great innermost sorrow are inevitable in this feat, especially for the negligent, until our mind, this furious and voluptuous dog, through simplicity, deep lack of anger and diligence becomes chaste and inquisitive. However, let us be complacent, passionate and exhausted; our infirmity and spiritual impotence with undoubted faith, as with the right hand, presenting and confessing to Christ, we will certainly receive His help, even beyond our dignity, if only we always bring ourselves down into the depths of humility.

9. All who embark on this good deed, cruel and narrow, but also easy, should know that they have come to plunge into the fire, if they only want immaterial fire to dwell in them. Therefore, let each one tempt himself, and then from the bread of the monastic life, which is with bitter potion, let him eat, and from this cup, which with tears, let him drink, and fight not to judge himself. If not everyone who is baptized will be saved, then ... I will keep silent about what follows.

10. Those who come to this achievement must renounce everything, despise everything, laugh at everything, reject everything, in order to lay a firm foundation for them. The good foundation, which is three-fold or three-pillared, consists of gentleness, fasting and chastity. Let all infants in Christ begin with these virtues, taking as an example sensual infants, in whom there is never anything malicious, nothing flattering, they have neither insatiable greed, nor an insatiable womb, nor bodily kindling; it appears later, with age and, perhaps, with the multiplication of food.

11. It is truly worthy of hatred and disastrous when the fighter weakens at the very entry into the struggle, thus showing a sure sign of his near victory. From a firm beginning, no doubt, it will be useful to us, if we subsequently weakened; for the soul, which was previously courageous and weakened, is excited by the memory of former jealousy, as with a sharp tool, therefore many times some have erected themselves in this way (from relaxation).

12. When the soul, betraying itself, destroys the blessed and longed-for warmth, then let it diligently investigate for what reason it lost it, and let all its labor and all diligence turn to this reason; for the former warmth cannot be returned otherwise than by the same doors by which she came out.

13. He who renounces the world out of fear is like incense, which at first is fragrant, and then ends in smoke. The one who leaves the world for the sake of retribution is like a millstone, which always moves in the same way, but the one who comes out of the world out of love for God at the very beginning acquires fire, which, being cast into matter, will soon kindle a great fire.

14. Some lay bricks on top of stone in the building, others established the pillars on the ground, and others, having traveled a small part of the way and warmed up the sinews and members, then walked faster. He who understands, let him understand what this divinatory word means.

15. As called by God and the king, let us zealously set out on the path, so that we, who are short-lived on earth, on the day of death will not be barren and perish from hunger. Let us please the Lord as soldiers please a king; for, having entered into this calling, we are subject to a strict answer about service. Let us fear the Lord even as we fear the beasts; for I saw people going to steal, who were not afraid of God, but when they heard the barking of dogs there, they immediately turned back, and what the fear of God did not do, the fear of beasts managed to do. Let us love the Lord even as we love and honor our friends; for many times I saw people who angered God and did not care at all about it, but the same ones, having grieved their friends with some little thing, used all art, invented all sorts of ways, in every possible way expressed their grief and their repentance to them both personally and through others, friends and relatives, apologized and sent gifts to the offended in order to return their former love.

16. At the very beginning of renunciation, without a doubt, with difficulty, compulsion and sorrow, we fulfill virtues; but, having succeeded, we cease to feel sorrow in them, or we feel, but little; and when our carnal wisdom is conquered and captivated by zeal, then we accomplish them with all joy and zeal, with lust and Divine flame.

17. How commendable are those who from the very beginning fulfill the commandments with all joy and zeal, how pitiable are those who, having long been in monastic training, still with difficulty accomplish, although they accomplish, the feats of virtues.

18. Let us not despise or condemn such renunciations, which happen according to circumstances; for I saw those who were in flight, who, by chance meeting with the king, against their will, went after him and, having entered the chamber with him, sat down with him at the table. I saw that the seed that accidentally fell on the ground brought forth abundant and beautiful fruit, just as the opposite happens. Again I saw a man who came to the doctor's clinic not to be treated, but for some other need, but, attracted and held by the doctor's affectionate reception, he freed himself from the darkness that lay on his eyes. Thus the involuntary in some was firmer and more reliable than the voluntary in others.

19. No one should, exposing the weight and multitude of his sins, call himself unworthy of the monastic vow and, for the sake of his lust, imaginary humiliate himself, inventing excuses for his sins (Ps. 140, 4); for where there is a lot of rottenness, strong healing is also needed, which would cleanse the filth, and the healthy do not go to the hospital.

20. If an earthly king called us and wished to put us in service before his face, we would not hesitate, we would not apologize, but leaving everything, we would zealously hasten to him. Let us take heed to ourselves, so that when the King of kings and the Lord of lords and the God of gods calls us to this heavenly rank, we will not refuse out of laziness and cowardice and at His great judgment we will not appear unanswered. The one who is bound by the ties of worldly affairs and cares can also walk, but it is inconvenient; for often those also walk who have iron fetters on their feet, but they stumble a lot and get ulcers from it. A man who is unmarried, but only bound by business in the world, is like one who has shackles on his hands alone, and therefore, whenever he wishes, he can freely resort to a monastic life; a married man is like one who has fetters on both his hands and his feet.

21. Some people, carelessly living in the world, asked me, saying: “How can we, living with wives and intertwined with worldly cares, imitate the life of a monastic?” I answered them: “Do everything good that you can do: do not reproach anyone, do not steal from anyone, do not lie to anyone, do not exalt yourself before anyone, do not have hatred for anyone, do not leave church meetings, be merciful to the needy, no one do not seduce, do not touch another's part (in the old translation: “do not touch the alien bed) and be happy quitrents your wives. If you do this, you will not be far from the Kingdom of Heaven.”

22. With joy and fear, let us proceed to this good deed; let us not be afraid of our enemies, for they look at the face of our soul, although they themselves are invisible; and when they notice that it has changed from fear, then these treacherous ones arm themselves more violently against us, knowing that we are afraid. So, let us arm ourselves against them complacently, for no one dares to fight with a courageous fighter.

23. The Lord, according to His special providence, eased the battles for the newcomers, so that at the very beginning they would not immediately return to the world. So, always rejoice in the Lord, all servants of God, seeing in this the first sign of the Lord's love for you and that He Himself has called you. However, we know that God often acts in another way, that is, when He sees courageous souls, from the very beginning He lets them fight, desiring to crown them soon. But from those who live in the world, the Lord concealed the inconvenience, or, rather, the convenience of this field; for if they knew this, no one would renounce the world.

Almost no information has been preserved about the origin of St. John. There is a tradition that he was the son of Saints Xenophon and Mary.

At the age of sixteen, the lad John came to the Sinai monastery. Abba Martyrius became the mentor and leader of the monk. After four years in Sinai, Saint John of the Ladder was tonsured into monasticism. One of those present at the tonsure, Abba Stratigius, predicted that he would become a great lamp of the Church of Christ. For 19 years Saint John labored in obedience to his spiritual father.

After the death of Abba Martyrios, the Monk John chose the life of a hermit, withdrawing to a deserted place called Fola, where he spent 40 years in the feat of silence, fasting, prayer, and tears of repentance. It is no coincidence that in The Ladder Saint John speaks of tears of repentance: "As fire burns and destroys brushwood, so a pure tear washes all impurities, external and internal." Strong and effective was his holy prayer, this is evidenced by an example from the life of a saint of God.

The Monk John had a disciple, the monk Moses. One day, the master ordered his student to put soil into the garden for beds. Fulfilling his obedience, due to the intense summer heat, monk Moses lay down to rest under the shade of a large cliff. The Monk John of the Ladder was at that time in his cell and was resting after prayer work. Suddenly a venerable-looking man appeared to him and, waking up the holy ascetic, reproachfully said: "Why are you, John, resting quietly here while Moses is in danger?" The Monk John immediately woke up and began to pray for his disciple. When his disciple returned in the evening, the monk asked if anything bad had happened to him. Inok replied: "No, but I was in great danger. I was almost crushed by a large piece of stone that came off the cliff, under which I fell asleep at noon. Fortunately, it seemed to me in a dream that you were calling me, I jumped up and rushed to run, and in this time, a huge stone fell with a noise on the very place from which I ran away ... "

It is known about the way of life of the Monk John that he ate what was not forbidden by the charter of the fasting life, but in moderation. He did not spend nights without sleep, although he slept no more than was necessary to maintain strength, so as not to destroy the mind by unceasing wakefulness. "I have not fasted excessively, he says about himself, and did not indulge in an intense night vigil, did not lie on the ground, but humbled himself .., and the Lord soon saved me.

The following example of the humility of St. John of the Ladder is noteworthy. Gifted with a lofty penetrating mind, wise with deep spiritual experience, he lovingly instructed all who came to him, leading them to salvation. But when some appeared, out of envy, reproaching him for verbosity, which they explained as vanity, the Monk John imposed silence on himself so as not to give rise to condemnation, and remained silent for a year. The envious realized their delusion and themselves turned to the ascetic with a request not to deprive them of the spiritual benefit of the interview.

Hiding his exploits from people, the Monk John sometimes retired to a cave, but the fame of his holiness spread far beyond the boundaries of the place of exploits, and visitors of all ranks and states constantly came to him, thirsting to hear the word of edification and salvation. At the age of 75, after forty years of asceticism in seclusion, the monk was elected abbot of the Sinai monastery. For about four years, the Monk John of the Ladder ruled over the holy monastery of Sinai. The Lord endowed the monk at the end of his life with the grace-filled gifts of clairvoyance and miracles.

During the management of the monastery, at the request of St. John, hegumen of the Raifa monastery, the famous "Ladder" was written by the monks - a guide for ascent to spiritual perfection.

At the end of life, bl. John appointed his brother George as successor in the leadership of the monastery, who also from the very renunciation of the world chose a life of silence. When St. John was on the verge of death (between 650 and 680), George told him: "So, you are leaving me and leaving! However, I prayed that you would send me first to the Lord, because without you it is not in my power to shepherd this community." But John encouraged him with the words: "Do not be upset and do not worry. If I find grace with God, I will not allow you to live even a year after me." And indeed, ten months after the death of John, George, in turn, departed to the Lord. It is believed that George was the Bishop of Faran who in 680 finally transferred the see to the Sinai Monastery. George is also called a bishop by Anastasius of Sinai in Various Stories about the Sinai Fathers. Some unreasonably identify the brother of St. John with St. George Arcelaite.

Rev. died. John, an 80-year-old elder near the city (so according to Brockhaus, it is also indicated there that the Archbishop of Chernigov Filaret (Gumilevsky) attributes his death to the city). According to other sources, he died in

Troparion to John of the Ladder

Like a Divine ladder, I have found, reverend John, / your Divine virtues, / leading us to Heaven: / virtues for you were imagination. / So pray to Christ God, may our souls be saved.

creations

In addition to the "Ladder", St. John also wrote an epistle to the abbot, which was also known in ancient Rus' and in our manuscripts usually follows the translation of the Ladder. All the works of John of the Ladder were published in the city ("Jobannis Scholastici, qui vulgo Climacus appellatur, opera omnia", Paris) and in Minh's "Patrology" (vol. 88).

The folk holiday Ivan Lestvichnik is celebrated on April 12, 2020 (according to the old style - March 30). IN church calendar this is the date of honoring the memory of the holy hegumen John of the Ladder, of Sinai.

The content of the article

Story

Saint John supposedly lived in the second half of the 6th century. At the age of 16, he came to the Sinai monastery and became a disciple of Martyrius. Four years later, he took monastic vows. During the ceremony, one of those present, the monk Stratigius, predicted that the young monk would become a great lamp of the Christian Church.

For 19 years, John lived in a monastery next to his teacher and spiritual leader Martyrius. When he died, the monk went to the Phlu desert and became a hermit. There he spent forty years of his life, which John led in prayer, silence and fasting.

At the age of 75, John became abbot of the Sinai monastery. Once the abbot of the Raifa monastery asked him to write a guide for ascent to spiritual heights. This is how the great work of John appeared - “Ladder”, which in Old Slavonic means “ladder”. Four years later, as hegumen, the saint died peacefully.

Traditions and rituals

On Ivan Lestvichnik, small loaves are baked in the form of a ladder. The number of steps in it should be equal to the members of the family. Everyone should eat this cookie - then health will be enough for a whole year.

According to legend, on this day the brownie is outrageous. This is explained by the fact that he changes the old skin, or he has a wedding with a witch. In general, the brownie is a good host. The rest of the time, he helps with the housework, warns of trouble or imminent death. But his character is wayward. On April 12, it is better not to appear before his eyes. You can try to appease him, but the brownie will not completely calm down until the next morning. To avoid trouble, it is customary to close domestic animals and not go out into the yard yourself.

Signs

If a dandelion bloomed on Ivan Lestvichnik, then the summer will end quickly.

There is already foliage on the birch, but not yet on the alder - you need to prepare for a dry summer.

Cherry blossomed - the time has come to sow corn and beets.

If the horse drinks a lot of water, it will rain soon, and if it hardly touches, then the coming days will be clear.

If the bird nests are more located on the south side, then the summer will be cold.

Wild geese fly high, which means that spring and summer will be rainy.

After the winter, bees begin to fly out of the hive, which means that the weather will be good in the coming days.