Which Ladder Are We Climbing?
On the fourth Sunday of Great Lent, we commemorated St. John of the Ladder of Divine Ascent. We discussed how we’re all on this ladder, climbing towards Christ, but we have many distractions, temptations, and deceptions of the demons. That’s because we’re also on other ladders of upward success – whether for education, skills, work, social position, or wealth. There is nothing wrong with setting goals, aiming to get ahead, and climbing these ladders of progress and advancement.
The problem comes when we have to compromise our faith. Do we choose to dull our faith, or hide it, or contradict it – and thus gain a step up the ladder of worldly success? Or do we choose to stick to the truths of the Christian faith and thus lose out on some of the comforts and conveniences of life. To climb up the ladder towards Christ, we must be willing to suffer, even to the point of martyrdom.
In Canada, in the last century, being a practicing Christian was regarded as a great benefit to the community, enabling Christians to get ahead and contribute to the general welfare. Not so anymore. Our Orthodox beliefs are out of step with the current cosmopolitan and “social justice” beliefs.
In our last Bible study session, we read the words of Christ: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” – St. John 12:24-25
In Man or Rabbit? C. S. Lewis writes:
…[F]oolish preachers, by always telling you how much Christianity will help you and how good it is for society, have actually led you to forget that Christianity is not a patent medicine. Christianity claims to give an account of facts – to tell you what the real universe is like. Its account of the universe may be true, or it may not, and once the question is really before you, then your natural inquisitiveness must make you want to know the answer. If Christianity is untrue, then no honest man will want to believe it, however helpful it might be: if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it, even if it gives him no help at all.
C. S. Lewis is saying that Christianity will not necessarily get you ahead in this life, nor will it eliminate your suffering here on earth, even if everyone on earth were Christian. Yes, there are moral truths and guidelines that are helpful, but suffering will still come upon us – because sin is still present in the world. We therefore must learn how to suffer well, and for that, Christianity prepares us most superbly.
Does Christianity somehow make one’s life easier, more joyful? If it means counting on God’s love, guidance, and providence, then “Yes.” God certainly gives us strength to endure life’s hardships, and the hope of Heaven – where “there is no pain, nor sorrow, nor suffering, but life everlasting.”
Part of our suffering today is our “struggle” to uphold our Orthodox Christian beliefs. The expression of our beliefs can limit how high we climb on the ladder of material and worldly success.
For example, holding to Orthodox morals on sexuality has become a “burden” for us. We hold that any sexual expression outside of a faithful marriage (of one man and one woman), is immoral. The question is, will we stand firm on God’s clear teaching and risk being rejected (or “cancelled”), or will we compromise?
The Apostle Paul writes: But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. – Romans 13:14
We are all sinners and we should not judge others. The problem comes when we are asked to affirm sinful beliefs and behaviours, on pain of losing our jobs. And worse still, our school children are asked to affirm these things, on pain of discipline, derision, or dismissal.
We accept Christianity not because it makes life easier, but because it makes life holy and true. When we live by faith in Christ, we are in step with how He made us. We are in step with the reality of the whole of Creation.
Nothing is ever ideal. We will go through hard times, lonely times; times which take a toll on our bodies and souls. Yet, with God’s help – when we learn to master our passions of self-righteousness and self-indulgence – we can continue our climb ever towards Christ.
When we, as Christians, are put to the test, we face a choice between: Gaining the “happy” benefits of this world; or Gaining the divine and everlasting blessings of Christ. To sin against God and His commandments is to live in untruth. It is to live in contradiction with what’s real. No matter how happy we think we’ll be if we compromise the truth, we will be wrong and we will be living contrary to the design of the cosmos. For example, there are people who are unfaithful to their spouses, and thus violate a universal reality. When they do so, they suffer the consequences, in one way or another. We pray for God’s mercy on them and on all of us.
We are all sinners under judgment. Everyday we have a chance to repent. At the end of our lives when we stand before Christ, a hard-hearted person toward the poor will stand next to a sexually immoral person, and both will be under judgement. Both will have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet, if both have united themselves to Christ’s perfect sacrifice, then they both have a chance of Heaven.
Quite simply, if we repent for our failures and sins, we are forgiven. The only fatal thing is to justify our sin and not turn from it. The Apostle Paul makes clear: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:2
The current culture justifies and encourages sin. In order to climb the ladder towards Christ, we need to reject the ways of the world and focus on climbing the Ladder of Divine Ascent.
It is true that fidelity to Christ and His Church from here on out may bring us a lot of grief, but if Christianity is true, then we will want to believe it, even if it brings martyrdom.
During these difficult days, may we journey through Holy Week, carry our crosses, and observe the undeserved suffering of Christ, His passion and death on the cross, and then celebrate His resurrection: His total victory over the powers of darkness and death.