It is impossible to capture in words the joy that sweeps over the heart when one comes to understand what St. John Climacus is revealing to us about the nature of humility. In this step, he strips away all of our limited, false, or distorted perceptions of humility and reveals it for what it is: a gift of God‘s own self.
After reading Step 25 our understanding of humility is forever changed. We are shown that God reveals the nature of humility by revealing himself to us in his Son. “Humility is Christ’s spiritual doctrine,” St. John tells us. “It is introduced into the inner chamber of the soul by those who are counted worthy of it. It cannot be defined by perceptible words.” Rather, by the grace of God, the heart is purified of the passions and all impediments are removed to our receiving God’s gifts. One of the greatest of those gifts is humility.
This virtue is a participation in the life of God. Whatever we might lose of honor or dignity in the world is nothing in comparison to the joy that Christ offers us through this virtue. “He who humbles himself will be exalted”. We may feel that we are falling into an abyss and losing our identity as we let go of our attachment to the things of this world. However, what we are falling into is actually the abyss of God‘s love. We are letting go of the false self in order that we might be immersed in He who is meaning, He who is truth, He who is reality!
What joy should be ours, St. John tells us: “By this shall all men know that we are God’s disciples, not because the devils are subject to us, but because our names are written in the Heaven of Humility.”
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Text of chat during the group:
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis IX, Part II
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Sixty-Three Part I
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis IX, Part I
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Sixty-Two Part II
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis VIII Part III
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Sixty-One Part II, Letter Sixty-Two Part I
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis VIII Part II
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Sixty-one Part I
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis VIII Part I
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Sixty Part II
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis VII Part IV
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Sixty Part I
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis VII Part III
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Fifty-nine Part III
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis VII Part II
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Fifty-nine Part II
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis VI Part III and Hypothesis VII Part I
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Fifty-eight Part III and Letter Fifty-nine Part I
The Evergetinos - Vol. I, Hypothesis VI Part II
Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Fifty-eight Part II
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