THE LADDER

"Hence, brethren, if we wish to reach the very highest point of humility and to arrive speedily at that heavenly exaltation to which the ascent is made through the humility of this present life, we must by our ascending actions erect the ladder Jacob saw in his dream, on which the Angels appeared to him descending and ascending. By that descent and ascent we must surely understand nothing else than this, that we descend by self-exaltation and ascend by humility. And the ladder thus set up is our life in the world, which the Lord raises up to heaven if our heart is humbled. For we call our body and soul the sides of the ladder, and into these sides our divine vocation has inserted the different steps of humility and discipline we must climb."
RSB Ch. 7 on Humility - St. Benedict

Of late I have been contemplating what distinguishes one's life - or I should say one's Christian vocation - the call of all who seek and experience the presence of God in the world but not of the world - from a life of the world. The world - made up of society and culture - teaches us to build our own ladder of success. Individual achievement is constantly being fed to us as the way to live life to its fullest; filling life up with gains of all kinds; those type of gains which are driven by self-exaltation as St. Benedict warns us to avoid.

We are fed spiritual food each and every time we participate in the Eucharist, communing with our Christ, in the world but not of the world. It is here, when we fully give over to something other; other than our own desires and wills that we can ascend on the steps our Christ has placed before us with faith, hope and love; the eternal Truth. It is here, when we fully ascend into the mystery of Christ, stepping out towards the altar, hand outstretched towards our Christ, that we experience the life giving joy of ascending at each Eucharist, each Daily Prayer, each Sacred Study and work; with the hope that we are helping others build their spiritual ladders with our steps of love; worshiping with our lives.

The world feeds us - or our Christ feeds us. You might say we are what we eat; may we be intentional about what we seek to be fed; so we may have the strength to ascend upon the ladder of life.


pax michael