The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIII: On Pride, Part IV

Pride destroys the one thing that the spiritual person should desire - the  unfailing light in the eye of the heart. The ascetic life seeks to remove every impediment to our loving God and being faithful to his will. The moment that we are filled with conceit or self-esteem, our souls, despite having the illusion of wealth, come to know the greatest poverty and darkness. What appears beautiful on the outside is often foul and rotting within. Saint John tells us that a “proud monk has no need of a devil, he has become a devil and enemy to himself.” And so for all of us: Pride undermines every virtue and makes us vulnerable to the most cruel of foes. One is exposed to blasphemous thoughts, even at the time of worship. If we are not constantly reproaching ourselves for our sin and acknowledging our poverty before God, then the enemy draws close and begins to play with the mind and the heart by placing suggestions before us. The presence of these thoughts can lead a person into great despair and make them want to give off of prayer and the participation in the holy mysteries. Therefore, John exhorts us to continue praying to the end and not give up the fight even when we feel overcome. Our prayer must become ever more constant until such thoughts cease.

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Text of chat during the group:

00:02:06 Suzanne: Ave Maria!!!

 

00:11:02 FrDavid Abernethy: 172 para 26

 

00:11:37 Suzanne: Is there a link for the readings?

 

00:24:33 Anthony Rago: This is funny. I grow pomegranates and am not great at knowing when they are ripe. The color can be deceitful to a "newbie."

 

00:26:59 Maureen Cunningham: Sounds like a sport who could be the strongest  but only spiritual

 

00:32:40 Michael Hinckley: happens to me all the time.

 

00:36:02 Maureen Cunningham: I love that movie so true

 

00:41:32 Sr Barbara Jean Mihalchick: 77777777777777777777

 

00:41:37 sharonfisher: I think of Jimmy Carter (not an a political sense) and his acceptance of God to take him when it’s his time. He seems to feel very comfortable with his end.

 

00:42:57 Sr Barbara Jean Mihalchick: This translation says:  The man ensnared by pride will need God's help, since man is of no use to him.

 

00:45:39 Maureen Cunningham: It the opposite of the Holy Family

 

01:04:07 Suzanne: Would kneeling be the Western counterpart to prostrations?

 

01:09:22 David Swiderski: The prostrations are common in Jewish prayer as well. Early Spanish traditions sometimes one lays face first in the form of a cross similar to priest when ordained

 

01:10:13 Suzanne: In the Eastern Catholic Church, do the faithful stand during the Liturgy?

 

01:10:30 Michael Hinckley: you see it at or in TLM parishes at confession

 

01:11:33 Maureen Cunningham: In the Orthodox Church in Hawaii you stand and they touch the floor many times

 

01:11:45 sue and mark: Depending on the Adoration Chapel, you can frequently  see people prostrating themselves

 

01:11:54 Suzanne: Very interesting, thank you!

 

01:12:20 Anonymous Sinner: The touching of the floor is a symbolic reminder that we are dust, and to dust we shall return, and that it is only by the grace of God that do so while praying Alleluia

 

01:12:53 Michael Hinckley: Reacted to "The touching of the ..." with 👍

 

01:13:02 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂

 

01:13:06 Louise: Thanks, Fr.!

 

01:13:07 David Swiderski: Thank you Father!

 

01:13:10 sharonfisher: And with your spirit!  Thank you!

 

01:13:21 Cindy Moran: Thank you Father!!