Building a ladder to paradise

	St. John Climacus When: c. 569- c. 649 Where: Palestine What: Hermit, spiritual writer, abbot Feast: March 30

In the early 1970s, the rock group Led Zeppelin, recorded the classic "Stairway to Heaven." Its title parallels a 7th century spiritual classic -- Scala Paradisi (The Ladder to Paradise) which, with Imitation of Christ, were the most popular of the medieval books.

Yet, few Western Christians have probably ever heard of the author, St. John Climacus (also known as John Scholasticus and The Sinaita). His feast is not on the General Roman Calendar of saints, but is on the Orthodox and Eastern Church calendars.

John was born in either Syria or Palestine. Some accounts say he entered the monastery when he was 16, but others say he was married and became a monk after the death of his wife.

After spending four years in community, he became a hermit, living in solitude during the week, then attending Mass on weekends with the other hermits in the area.

As a hermit, he wrote The Ladder to Paradise as a guide to help monks and hermits master their feelings and emotions.

There are 30 steps on his ladder and each one corresponds to a chapter in the book. The steps include: renouncing the world; detachment; pilgrimage; obedience; repentance; remembrance of death; joy-making mourning; meekness and freedom from anger; remembrance of wrongs; slander and calumny; talkativeness and silence; lying; despondency; the stomach, which he called the "clamorous mistress"; purity and chastity; avarice; non-possessiveness; community prayer; insensibility; bodily vigil; unmanly and puerile cowardice; vainglory; mad pride and blasphemous thoughts; meekness and simplicity; humility; discernment; stillness of body and soul; Godlike dispassion and perfection; and the linking of the supreme Trinity and the virtues.

The book was translated into many languages and also led to commentaries that sought to help explain its difficult and disjointed parts.

John's aim was not to run down the body in order to build up the soul, but to make the body holy. He wrote, "How can I run away from [my body] when it will be my companion at the resurrection?"

We become virtuous, he said, by allowing God's life to emerge through our life "by cooperating with God's grace, chiefly through self-denial and devotion to God." The object, he said, was not to behave humbly, gently, lovingly, but to become humble, gentle, loving, thus showing "that each of us has been created in the image of God, and that with God's grace it's possible for that image to shine through."

Concerning slander, he said "I do worse things every day, so how can I criticize another?" By avoiding slander, he wrote, we heal ourselves and the other person. "Do not make judgments and you will travel no quicker road to the forgiveness of your sins."

When John was 70, the monks at Mount Sinai Abbey elected him as their abbot. He served for about four years before returning to his hermitage where he died.