The Word of God in Romania 2012.03.25 - The Word of God on the fourth Sunday | Page 3

2012.03.25.
teach them to ask with fasting and praying for the casting out of satan, My adversary, from man
and from the earth.
We remember in a spirit of Sunday, in a spirit of church, the devout and greatly obedient
to the saints, to the fathers and to God, John, who showed to the faithful people the man’s
ascension to God, and after that he was called John of the Ladder. Oh, how beautifully he stayed
within the spirit of obedience and how greatly he appeared by his submission! God is great
among His saints and they are great in Him in word and deed, and I, the Lord, am comforted
with them and I get comforted from them on earth and in heaven. Amen.
— On a day of Sunday I am with You, Lord, in word, in heaven and on earth, for the
saints and the fathers gave me as an example to the church, me, the one who love submission,
the obedience in love and it was my love for You, not for those to whom I submitted within my
obedience to them. I had to listen, and that is why I had listened. I needed to be a son and I
needed to have fathers from You and to be, and I had a mind for this desire, and You were the
spirit of my mind, Who loved me and received me as Your son on the Mount Sinai, there where
I served You on earth. I was submitted to those who were my superiors, and this is how I showed
respect to those that were under my authority then according to the normal ordinance, for by
my obedience, You brought me to the level of spiritual father for the sons who were to believe
in You, and I also showed them my self-denial and my humility before them, and this is how I
advised them to me with obedience, with love and then to their self denial. My hermit life helped
me for the spirit of peace, in which I remained to write for the followers about the man’s life
ascent to You, and the saints of the church called me John of the Ladder. I left the followers the
ladder, on which I travelled to You, Lord, and I wait for them, I wait for many of them, I wait
for them to come and to be able to come. With fast and prayer and with time for these, this is
how are supposed to travel to heaven those who use the ladder which I built with my word full
of longing after the man’s coming to You from the turmoil of the world, and I thank You for all
those who will listen to the whole word that I left written on the earth for those who may travel
to You the way I travelled, and I left it in this way written on the earth 4 .
Oh, glory to You because you build saints from among people in the way of the people
so that they may see the way of the saints and walk in it! Glory to You, Good Shepherd, for the
spirit of Your working spirits is spirit of Your Spirit of merciful Shepherd for those who let
themselves be shepherded by Him to heaven on earth! Amen.
— My glory with you on the earth, oh, My beloved saints, was nourished by your love
which is complete for Me from you, for you have given to Me with obedience, and your sub-
mission has taught you obedience. Everyone who wants to learn this ladder, the obedience for
his growth, let that one build total submission for himself to those who want to listen, for no
one can listen if he does not submit his being to the work of obedience and for obedience with
love. If someone does not listen, than he needs someone to show him in order to know and then
to listen, for this saint, John of the Ladder, once fell under the calumny of those whose soul he
had under his caring hand for them, and then for a long time he had not done anything of what
they said that was not good at him, and then he withdrew his strong hand upon them in such a
4
Our venerable and God-bearing Father John Climacus (ca. 579 - 649), also known as John of the Lad-
der, John Scholasticus, and John Sinaites, was a seventh century monk at St. Catherine's monastery at the base
of Mount Sinai. He wrote a number of instructive books, the most famous of which is The Ladder of Divine As-
cent.
3