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| "The Ladder of Divine Ascent" (St. John Climacus is pictured at the top, being welcomed to heaven by Christ.) |
History
John lived in Palastine in
the 7th century. He became a religious hermit when he was only 16,
living on Mt. Sinai, where he studied the lives of the saints. God gave him a
great gift for writing, and John wrote “The Ladder of Divine Ascent,” which
explains how to use ascetic virtues — like humility, forgiveness, contentment,
penance and honesty — to become closer to God. He used Jacob’s Ladder as the
framework, and developed 30 steps to correspond with the age of Jesus at His
baptism.
Activity
Today, make a Jacob’s Ladder toy out of wood, ribbon and small wire nails (I have also had excellent results with tacky glue instead of nails). Here are the instructions. To remind yourself of St. John Climacus' "Ladder of Divine Ascent," on one side, use a permanent marker to draw a cross. On the other, draw a
triangle to represent the Holy Trinity.
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