St. John Climacus: Ascend the Ladder of Divine Ascent | The True Purpose of Lent

About this sermon

Modern Christianity often promises “your best life now.” But the saints teach something radically different. In this powerful reflection, we hear the wisdom of St. John Climacus, author of the Ladder of Divine Ascent, one of the most influential spiritual works in all of Christianity. Rather than focusing on earthly success or comfort, St. John calls us to something far greater: the ascent to the Kingdom of Heaven. During the holy season of Great Lent, the Church invites us to climb this spiritual ladder through fasting, repentance, prayer, and vigilance over our senses. The Christian life is not about maximizing worldly prosperity, but about transformation, theosis, and eternal salvation. Even when we fall, the saints remind us: “Ascend, ascend, O brothers… even if you fall every day, rise again.” This sermon explores: • Why modern “self-help Christianity” misses the point • The true meaning of renouncing the world • The spiritual purpose of fasting and ascetic discipline • The wisdom of St. John Climacus and the Ladder of Divine Ascent • Why Lent is about ascending toward the Resurrection Let this message strengthen you in the final weeks of Lent as we prepare for the glorious Resurrection of Christ. To Him be glory, honor, and praise now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. 00:00 Christ Is Among Us 00:18 Discovering Christian Books in Chapters 00:52 The Problem With “Self-Help Christianity” 01:14 “Your Best Life Now” vs the Gospel 01:48 God Desires Good Things for Us — But Not as the End 02:26 The True Goal: The Kingdom of Heaven 02:47 Joyful Sorrow in the Christian Life 02:57 Step One of the Ladder: Renunciation of the World 03:19 What Binds Us to This World 03:34 The Wisdom of St. John Climacus 03:59 The Ladder of Divine Ascent Explained 04:25 A Guide for Monks — and for Us 04:39 Ascetic Practices During Lent 04:48 The Struggle of Fasting 05:07 Why We Discipline the Body and Tongue 05:25 Striving for the Heavenly Kingdom 05:41 “Ascend, Ascend, O Brothers” 06:06 Falling Into Sin During Lent 06:19 Do Not Be Discouraged 06:28 Ascend Toward the Resurrection 06:40 Final Blessing For more please visit https://www.youtube.com/@steliasbrampton & say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #Lent #StJohnClimacus #LadderOfDivineAscent #ChristianAsceticism #CatholicTeaching #OrthodoxSpirituality #SpiritualWarfare #Theosis #ChurchFathers #ChristianLife

Topics

• Purpose & Calling