Житие преподобного отца нашего Иоанна Лествичника 2259

The Venerable John Climacus labored on Mount Sinai, so famous from Old Testament legends (Ex.19:20, 24, 34; Lev.7; Num.10:33; Ps.67:8). The sacred Mount Sinai served as a refuge for Christian ascetics from the middle of the 3rd century, taking refuge here from persecution; others were taken here captive by the Saracens. In the 4th century, when the persecution of Christians ended, monasticism was finally established here. The hermits were attracted here by the sacred memories of the great Old Testament events revealed here, and by the desert of Sinai. Travelers say that they have never encountered a more deserted place than the Sinai Peninsula. Even wild animals do not stay here for long, but, having come here by chance from the Arabian desert, they hasten to retire to places enlivened 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 (Tholas) John Climacus labored for many years. Before the accession of Justinian I to the throne, the ascetics of Sinai did not have a monastery - they had only one strong tower and a small church near it, built by Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen. In 557, under Emperor Justinian, at the request of the monks, a monastery was erected here. Saint John came to Sinai at the age of 16, attracted here by the glory of the monastic life of the Sinai hermits. Even his contemporaries, life writers, did not know about the place of origin of John 2260. Monk Daniel directly says: “Which city and country raised and raised this valiant ascetic to his asceticism, I cannot say with certainty and certainty.” And then he continues: “And what city now inhabits and feeds this all-wonderful man with incorruptible food is not entirely unknown to me. For he too now dwells in the city about which the good singer, the holy Apostle Paul, speaks: “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). There he remains, saturated with the immaterial feeling of inexhaustible benefits, having accepted a worthy reward for his exploits and reward for his labors, having inherited the Kingdom of Heaven with those whose feet are already on the straight path (Ps. 25:12). And how John, for the sake of this immaterial bliss, worked in a warlike body, about this,” Daniel continues, “I will tell you with all clarity.” “This blessed John, when he had passed 16 years of physical age, and in the perfection of his mind he was already like a thousand years old, gave himself up to the Great Bishop-God as an immaculate and voluntary sacrifice. He ascended his body to Mount Sinai, and his soul to the mountain of heaven; apparently having ascended the mountain, he approached the heavenly heights, contemplating with his mind the invisible God. Having withdrawn from the world, from the very beginning he loved meekness, adorned with humility, as the leader of the “mental youths” 2261, as a teacher of virtues. He cut off freedom and pride and, having assumed a noble humility, upon his very entry into monastic life, with attentive consideration, he drove away from himself this deceiver - self-indulgence and self-confidence. Bowing his neck, he entrusted himself to a skilled spiritual mentor, 2262 wishing, under his guidance, to safely pass through the dangerous abyss of passions. Having renounced worldly life, John began to behave among the monks like a young boy who could not speak, 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 is that despite his extensive learning, John remained a humble monk, loving heavenly simplicity, and did not exalt himself with his wisdom, humbling himself for God. The mentor and leader of the Monk John - as Synchron 2263 says - was Abba Martyrius. When, in the 20th year of his life, Martyrius tonsured John as a monk, Abba Stratigius 2264 predicted about him on that day 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 as a monk?” “He is your servant, father, and I tonsured him,” answered Martyrius. And Anastasy said with surprise: - Oh Abba Martyrius! You tonsured the abbot of Mount Sinai. At another time, also taking this John with him, his mentor Abba Martyrius went to the great elder John Savvait, who then lived in the Guddi desert. As soon as the elder saw them, he stood up, poured water, washed John’s feet and kissed his hand; Abba Martyria did not wash his feet. Then after this the disciple of Elder Savvait Stefan asked the elder: - Why did you do that, father? Not the teacher, but the student, washed his feet and kissed his hand? “Believe me, child, that I did not know who this young monk was; I received the abbot of Sinai, and washed the abbot’s feet. Such were the prophecies of the holy Sinai fathers 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 path of salvation, since his spiritual father passed on to the afterlife. Having sent him as an intercessor and intercessor for himself to the Heavenly King, as the monk Daniel writes about this, John went into the field of silence, armed with the prayers of his mentor, as a powerful weapon for the destruction of strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4). For his solitary asceticism, John chose one very deserted place called Thola, which was located eight miles from the church. He left his solitude only on holidays, on which he went to church for worship. In his desert the monk spent forty years 2265 in labor, burning with Divine love, constantly inflamed by its fire. But who is able to convey in words or describe in detail the exploits of the Monk John, which he underwent there secretly? However, just as great things are learned from small things, so also from 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 it 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 with the smallness of what he ate, he would humble the mistress and mother of voluptuous passions, i.e. gluttony, calling out to her through the very meagerness of the meal: “Be silent, stop” (Mark 4:39). By living in the desert and withdrawing from contact with people, the monk extinguished the flame of carnal food, so that it was finally covered with ashes and completely extinguished. The love of money, which the holy Apostle Paul calls idolatry (Eph. 5:5), this valiant ascetic courageously avoided, giving alms and denying himself the most necessary things. He aroused idleness and laziness, which weakens and mortifies the soul, to vigor and work, as if with a sting, by the memory of death. He resolved the nets and bonds of all addictions and all sensual lusts, binding himself with immaterial bonds of sadness and tears; and irritability had already been killed in him by obedience. Rarely visiting anyone, and even less often saying anything, he thereby killed the leech-vanity, like a cobweb. What can I say, continues the monk Daniel, about his victory over pride? What can I say about the great purity of heart, the beginning of which was laid by this new Bezaliel 2266 by obedience and which was completed by the Lord, the King of heavenly Jerusalem, visiting it with His presence, for without His presence the devil and his horde cannot be overthrown. But where will I place in this wreath,” continues Daniel, “which we weave to St. John from words of praise, the source of his tears, which we see not in many. And to this day the secret place where these tears flowed is known: it is a very narrow cave in some solitude and submountain, located at such a distance from John’s cell and from other cells that it was enough not to be heard by people and to block the path 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 among those who are cut with knives or burned with a hot iron or deprived of their eyes 2267. He slept to such an extent that only excessive wakefulness would not ruin his 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. Writing books served as a means for John to drive away despondency. 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 immaculateness, he did not want, or, more precisely, he could not get enough of 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, the Monk John ordered Moses to apply soil from one place to fertilize the beds for vegetables. Moses, having arrived at the indicated place, diligently carried out the command. At noon, when the 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 be subjected to sorrow in any way, in His compassion preserved Moses from sudden death, and delivered Saint John from sorrow. At that time, the Monk John was in his cell, and then a slight drowsiness fell on him: in a dream he saw a certain handsome man, who reproachfully said to John: “Here you are, John, sleeping peacefully here, and meanwhile Moses is in danger.” The monk immediately stood up and began to pray earnestly for his student. When evening then came and the disciple returned from his work, John asked him: – Has anything untoward or unexpected happened to you? “When I was sleeping under one large stone at noon, it suddenly fell and would have crushed me too if I had not hastily ran away from that place, since at that very moment it seemed to me that you, Father, were calling me.” The humble John glorified the good God for this miraculous salvation of the disciple from death, but did not say anything about his vision to Moses. Saint John was a model of virtue for everyone and a doctor of invisible diseases. One day, a certain brother named Isaac was greatly oppressed by a prodigal demon. Being in deep sadness, that brother hastened to resort to this great John and with bitter crying and sobbing told him about his struggle. John said to Isaac: - Let’s stand, friend, both of us for prayer! And they had not yet finished their prayer and the suffering brother was still lying with his face down on the ground, as God had already done according to the desire of His saint, for the prodigal demon ran away from Isaac, driven away, as if by a scourge, by the prayers of Saint John. Thus the words of the Psalm of David were fulfilled: “He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, and He hears their prayer” (Ps 144:19). And the sick man, seeing himself healthy and completely freed from passion, was very surprised, and 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. Having brought them to their senses, he himself proved to everyone that “all things can be done (not only in words, but also in silence) through Christ (Jesus), who strengthens all” (Phil. 4:13). And he remained silent for a whole year, without saying one word to them, so that his detractors turned into petitioners: for they knew that they should not block the ever-flowing source of benefit, and, having come to him, begged him to open his god-speaking lips again. John, not liking to contradict, obeyed them and again began to adhere to his former rule. Then everyone, marveling at his success in everything, like a certain latter-day Moses, by force elevated John to the position of head of the monastery, thus placing this lamp on the commanding candlestick. Having accepted the abbess of Mount Sinai, although against his desire, John approached the mountain of God in spirit, accepted the incomprehensibility of God and approached God through the ascension of the mind and received the God-written law; opened his mouth to receive the word of God; He drew the spirit to himself (Ps. 119:131) and from the good treasure of his heart (Matt. 12:35) poured out good words of salvation. So, after forty years of monastic exploits, 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 official candlestick,” notes the monk Daniel. The Lord was pleased with this election, which was revealed by a special miraculous event. One of the life writers, unknown by name, says that a little after John was appointed abbot, about 600 wanderers came to their monastery. When all the pilgrims and the Sinai brethren sat down at the table, an unknown steward appeared, dressed in a white tunic, similar to a Jewish one, and commandingly gave orders to the servants at the table. When the guests dispersed and the servants sat down to dinner, the wonderful steward was no longer visible. St. John said to the perplexed monks: - Stop looking: the holy prophet and lawgiver Moses served in this place that belonged to him. One summer there was no rain and a great drought in the Palestinian countries. The surrounding residents came to the Monk John, asking him to pray to God for the sending of rain. And as soon as the Monk John prayed, a heavy rain immediately fell and, watering the parched land, made it fruitful. When the time of Saint John’s death approached, he piously instructed all the brethren of the Sinai monastery - these spiritual Israelis of his. In only one way did John not become like Moses, for the Monk John entered with his soul into the heavenly Jerusalem, while Moses did not reach the lower Jerusalem with his body 2268. When this new Moses, the Most Reverend Abbot John, departed to the Lord, then his brother, Abba George 2269, stood before him, shedding tears and saying: - So, you leave me and go away. And I prayed that you would send me; because without you, my lord, my strength will not be able to shepherd your holy squad: and so, on the contrary, I send you. And the holy Abba John said to this: - Don’t be sad or grieve: if I find boldness from the Lord, I won’t allow you to die even a year after me. This has come true. For in the 10th month after the repose of blessed John, Abba George, his brother, departed to the Lord, to stand before Him together with his brother Saint John in the glory of the saints, glorifying the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen 2270. The Monk John ruled the holy monastery of Sinai for a short time, no more than four years. But his short-term management of 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”, 2271 from which John himself received the name Climacus. The reason for writing “The Ladder” was as follows 2272. Two days' journey from Sinai was the Raifa Monastery, located in a very picturesque bay of the Red Sea. At the time when the Sinai monastery was ruled by the Monk John Climacus, the abbot of the Raifa monastery was also St. John 2273. Having heard a lot about the spiritual gifts of the abbot of Sinai, about his deep wisdom in the management of the souls entrusted to him for the salvation of the souls, the abbot of Raifa wrote a message to Climacus 2274, 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 unquestioning obedience in everything about the Lord and adorned with all virtues,” wrote Saint John of Raifa to John Climacus, “we, weaklings, turning to you as the common father of all, as the eldest before all with asceticism, and strength of mind, and as an excellent teacher, with this message of ours we implore the height of your virtues... do not refuse, without laziness for the Lord, to clearly outline for our salvation what is necessary and proper for monastic life, as a truly great leader of all who have also chosen the angelic life, without considering what we have said as any servility or flattery. For you know, truly sacred head, that flattery is alien to us and that we repeat only what is affirmed by everyone. Therefore, we assure ourselves in the Lord that we will soon receive and kiss the venerable inscriptions we have been waiting for on the tablets, as a true guide for those who follow unswervingly, and as if a ladder stands on the earth (Gen. 28:12), which leads those who wish to the heavenly gates safe and sound, so that without restraint they pass by the spirits of evil, 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 (Gen. 28:12), then how much more will the leader of the verbal sheep show everyone not only the vision, but in fact and in the truth itself an infallible ascent to God? Help, O Lord, most honorable father! The Monk John had such a modest opinion of himself that this message from the Abbot of Raifa embarrassed him. The monk also answered him with message 2275: “I received,” wrote Climacus, “to me, poor and poor in virtues, your venerable writing sent by you, or better yet, an instruction and command that exceeds my strength; and I will say that if there had not been fear and the great danger of throwing off the yoke of obedience - this mother of all virtues, then I would not have foolishly ventured into a task that exceeded 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 since our God-bearing fathers and the mysteries of true knowledge set obedience in order to undoubtedly obey those commanding in matters that exceed our strength, then I humbly decide on what is above me; with fear and zeal I begin to fulfill your holy command; I leave it to you, the leader and chief of teachers, to decorate, to clarify the outline with it and, as the executor of the tablets of the spiritual law, to fill in what is insufficient. For your sake, I begin this work, begging all readers, if anyone sees anything useful in my work, to gratefully impute the fruit of this to our excellent boss, and for me to ask God for reward for one performance of work, because God rewards not for many gifts and labors, but for much diligence. For this reason, the creation of St. John, called the “Ladder,” appeared. The work of St. John is called “The Ladder” because St. John of Raifa wanted to receive precisely such guidance in spiritual life, which would represent, as it were, a ladder of affirmations that would lead those who wish to the heavenly gates safe and sound, and according to the thoughts of its compiler himself. “According to the meager knowledge that was given to me,” writes St. John, “I built a ladder of ascent. After this, let everyone see for himself what level he has reached” 2276. In the preface to “The Ladder,” the meaning of this name is explained as follows: “for those who strive to have their names written in the book of life, this book shows the best path for their flow. For as we walk along this path, we will find that this book infallibly, as if by the hand, leads those who follow it and undoubtedly presents an established ladder from the earthly to the holy, and shows at its top the established God... Truly, he who arranged for us an ascension equal to the Lord's age in the flesh judged very excellently; for in the image of the Lord’s thirty years of coming of age, he significantly built a ladder of 30 degrees, along which, having reached the Lord’s age of 2277, we will find ourselves 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 faithful 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, by the way, Theodore the Studite, Joseph of Volokolamsk and others, referred in their instructions to “The Ladder” as the best book, nevertheless a Christian living in the world can find saving guidance in it. The first step of the ladder is renunciation of earthly attachments, and at its very height the union of three virtues is indicated - faith, hope and love. To become familiar with the instructions of John Climacus, let us listen to his instruction on vanity 2278. – Vanity is shown with every virtue. When, for example, I keep a fast, I become vain, and when, hiding the fast from others, I allow food, I again become vain, through prudence. Having dressed in light clothes, I am motivated by curiosity, and having changed into thin clothes, I am vain. Will I talk? I fall into the power of vanity. Do I want to remain silent? I surrender to him again. Wherever you turn this thorn, it will all become spokes upward. A vain person is a Christian idolater. In appearance, he honors God, but in reality he tries more to please people than God... “He who pleases us deceives us,” says the prophet (Is. 3:12). People of high spirit endure insults complacently and willingly; and only saints and immaculate people can listen to praise and not feel any pleasure... When you hear that your neighbor or friend scolds you in absentia or to your face; then show love by praising him... It is not he who shows humility who scolds himself (how can one be intolerable to oneself?), but who, having been dishonored by another, does not diminish his love for him... Whoever exalts himself with natural gifts - a subtle mind, high education, his reading, pleasant pronunciation and other similar qualities that are easily acquired - will never achieve supernatural benefits. For he who is unfaithful in little things will be unfaithful and vain in many things (Luke 16:10). It often happens that God Himself humbles the vain, sending unexpected dishonor... If prayer does not destroy vainglorious thoughts, let us bring to mind the exodus of the soul from this life. If this does not help, we will frighten him with the shame of the Last Judgment. “He who exalts himself will humble himself” (Luke 14:11) even here, before the age to come. When our praisers, or, better to say, our seducers, begin to praise us, we will immediately bring to mind many of our iniquities and find that we are unworthy of what they say about us or what they do for us 2279. In general, the “Ladder” of St. John is distinguished by deep spiritual experience, which is combined with a deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. It is a rare thought that Climacus expresses without illuminating it with direct or indirect reference to Holy Scripture. The work of John is written in simple, but pure and living language - it expresses a lot in a few words, and therefore is full of power 2280. That is why the “Ladder” of St. John has always been a reference book for monks living in a hostel 2281. With the flows of your tears you cultivated the barren, and you brought forth fruit from the depths with sighs of a hundred labors, and you were a lamp of the universe, shining miracles, John Our Father, pray to Christ God, that our souls may be saved. The life of St. John Climacus was described, a little later after his death, by his contemporary and friend, the monk of the Raifa monastery Daniel. The Raifa monastery was located on the shores of the Gulf of Suez, two days' journey from Sinai. Daniel’s narrative is supplemented by another monk, unknown by name, who was a disciple of John Climacus himself, who left several fragmentary information from the life of his spiritual mentor. There is an opinion that John Climacus was the son of Xenophon and Mary, whose memory is celebrated by St. Church on January 26. In the Chetyi-Minaia (January 26) it is narrated that the rich and noble Constantinople nobles Xenophon and Mary had two sons: John and Arkady. Their parents wanted to give them an education. At that time, the school in the Syrian city of Virit (present-day Beirut) was famous, and they sent their children there. One day, parents called their sons to their place on the occasion of their father’s dangerous illness. When they were heading back to school - and their route was the Mediterranean Sea - a strong storm suddenly arose at sea and wrecked the ship they were on. But both brothers did not die - they escaped drowning on the planks of the ship and were thrown to the coast of Palestine by sea waves. It happened, however, that one and the other of them landed at different places on the shore, so that they did not know about each other’s fate. After the miraculous salvation, both brothers, seeing in the disaster that befell them a calling from above to monastic life, entered different Palestinian monasteries, and Arkady changed his name to George. After quite some time, both brothers met each other and, moreover, in the presence of their father and mother, after which the latter also accepted monasticism. One of the sons of Xenophon and Mary is John and is recognized as the same person as John Climacus. This opinion is supported, firstly, by the fact that, according to one of the biographers, John Climacus actually had a brother called George; secondly, the saint’s high education also speaks, suggesting a noble origin in him, and mainly from his “Ladder,” which reveals in John a deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, patristic works and even heretical writings. Those. good inclinations - according to the explanation of Elijah of Crete. Those. Abba Martyria, as can be seen from the subsequent legend of the unknown Sinai monk. Synchron is a monk of the Sinai monastery, a contemporary of John Climacus, he left behind “Tales of the Holy Men of Sinai.” Present at the tonsure ceremony. From the beginning of his monasticism. Bezaleel is the son of Uriah, the son of Hor, from the line and descendants of Judah, an artist in the days of Moses, full of the Spirit of God, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all art (Exodus 31:1-5; Exodus 30:30-35). He, together with Aholiab, from the tribe of Dan, was entrusted, at the command of God, with the construction of the tabernacle with all its accessories (Ex. 31:2; Ex. 35:30). Thus, just as the Old Testament Bezaleel skillfully built the tabernacle, so “this new Bezaleel”, i.e. Rev. John Climacus, skillfully arranged his spiritual tabernacle. These holy tears produced wonderful consequences in John’s soul, as can be seen from his own words; in one place of his “Ladder” he says: “As fire burns and destroys brushwood, so a pure tear washes away all impurities, external and internal.” Those. Moses was not given the Lord to enter the “promised land”; before his death, he only looked at it from Mount Nebo (Deut. 34:4–5). Whom he appointed abbot of the Sinai monastery during his lifetime, having himself loved silence. The Monk John reposed 80 years from his birth at the end of the 6th or beginning of the 7th century. The word Ladstvitsa translated into Russian means ladder. The purpose of writing “The Ladder” is to teach that achieving salvation requires labor, self-sacrifice and intense feats on the part of a person. The ladder contains thirty degrees or feats: firstly, the cleansing of sinful impurity, the eradication of vices and passions in the old man; secondly, the restoration of the image of God in man. They are joined by several more degrees of preparatory or initial feats. Saint John, abbot of Raifa, a contemporary of John Climacus, is remembered by the Church on Cheese Saturday. It is attached to the edition of “The Ladder”. It is also included in the edition of The Ladder. Those. Saint John Climacus posits 30 stages of self-improvement, corresponding to the 30 years of the Savior’s life before His appearance in public service. According to the image of the “Ladder,” Christian improvement begins with the rejection of the “world” and the fight against passions. From dissipative pleasures and sensual pleasures, the “spirit” turns to repentance in sorrow, being in constant remembrance of death. Saving sadness softens the ascetic’s heart with the power of tears, frees him from selfishness and removes sinful growths from him. In this way, the repentant reaches a state of “silence” when he finds words only for prayer, chants and expressions of “love”. The spirit and soul are freed from the bonds of gross sensuality, refined, gaining a real ability to communicate with the spiritual, heavenly, Divine world. Blessed “humility” leads along the paths of following Christ and opens the door to the Heavenly Kingdom. The one who conquers the “passions” receives the highest ability of “discrimination,” which helps a person to notice and recognize evil and good movements in himself and others, suppress the former and develop the latter. In the highest state of godlike dispassion and tranquility, the ascetic enters a glorified state on earth and contemplates, as if in a mirror, the blessings of heaven. This last property of the “Ladder,” as well as the experienced depth of thought, was the reason that John, the abbot of Raifa, Elijah of Crete, the 8th century metropolitan, and others wrote explanations on the Ladder. As an addition to the “Ladder,” St. John wrote another short work, “To the Shepherd”; here he draws the ideal of the abbot of the monastery, who, according to John, should be a shepherd, helmsman, doctor, teacher and model for his subordinates. You might be interested in: