By Milica Yaksich

  In the last few issues of Istocnik we have been examining the steps toward higher spirituality on the ladder of Divine Ascent. We've moved slowly it may seem, though in fact the struggle to attain such spiritual perfection may very well take much longer. The ladder is very clear, very easy to understand, but what it asks of us is not always as easy to achieve as it is to understand. We began our journey just about this time last year, because it is during Great Lent that the Ladder of Divine Ascent is read in most monasteries. There are thirty steps on the ladder and we are only now about to embark on steps 10, 11, and 12. I am certain that everyone will find these three steps very helpful for they deal with something that is a problem common to all of us. In some way, each of us has either suffered because of our own or someone else's words. The next three steps deal with talk: On Slander, On Talkativeness and Silence, and On Telling the Truth.

  We all talk, and although it is no secret that talk can do a lot of harm, many of us rarely consider how much we sin through talk. Let us now consider how we sin through talking so that we may understand how to change and improve ourselves in the eyes of God.

STEP 10: ON SLANDER

  In the last article we examined Meekness and in doing so we recognized the destructiveness of anger and of remembrance of wrongs. St. John believed that the next step after "Remembrance of Wrongs" should be "Slander" because according to him, "slander is the child of hatred and remembrance of wrongs." To slander someone is to speak evil of that person behind his back, to say things that will make others think badly of that person. Sadly, there are those who do this in the guise of good intentions, and who may even be deceiving themselves into believing that they are doing this with a good purpose. How often have we heard someone criticize someone and then suggest that it is only out of love or concern for that person that they say these things. If that were true they would not be making them look bad in front of others but would speak to them directly and secretly pray for them, that is if they really wanted to help them! St. John points out the hypocrisy and spiritual danger of this: "It puts on the appearance of love and is the ambassador of an unholy and unclean heart." When a person slanders someone behind his back and indicates none of this dislike or criticism to his face this is extremely deceitful. It is also self-serving if by pointing out someone else's flaws we make ourselves look good, as if we were better, smarter or stronger somehow. We should also be careful not to join others in slandering someone else. There is nothing good about looking good or getting into someone's good graces at the expense of others. Whenever I hear of a good and holy person, next to meekness their greatest attribute is that they never spoke an unkind word of anyone. Can we honestly say this of ourselves? St. John wrote: "A good grape picker chooses to eat ripe grapes and does not pluck what is unripe. A charitable and sensible mind takes careful note of the virtues it observes in another, while the fool goes looking for faults and defects."

  In addition to the harm that has already been identified, slander is the result of being judgmental. This provokes the wrath of God. There is only one Judge and by judging others we invite judgment. Not knowing what is in another's heart we also risk being terribly wrong in our view of others, as was the case in the Biblical story of the Publican and the Pharisee. As St. John points out, none of us can say for certain who will and who will not be saved in the end: "Do not start passing judgment on the offender - Judas was one of the company of Christ's disciples and the robber was in the company of killers. Yet what a turnabout there was when the decisive moment arrived!" So often, as is illustrated in the Publican and the Pharisee, we know a person by their deeds or, worse, by their reputation (which may not be accurate), but we don't know that they may have secretly repented and been forgiven by God. How can we judge or worse yet - condemn what God has forgiven! In Matthew (7:1,2) the Lord warns us, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged. In James (2:13) we are reminded, "He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy." The golden commandment: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is something every Christian is taught and yet how many of us actually live by it. St. John writes, "To pass judgment on another is to usurp shamelessly a prerogative of God, and to condemn is to ruin one's soul." The commandment teaches us "to treat others as we would want to be treated" because the way we treat others is exactly how we will be treated or, if you prefer: the basis upon which we will be judged.

  Have you ever noticed how soon after finding fault with someone else you find yourself doing something just as bad, if not worse? We are all sinners and we must all strive to sin less. Let us see our own sinfulness, then perhaps we will not notice the sins of others quite so readily, or be so eager to point them out. St. John leaves us at the end of this step with these wise words: "Do not allow human respect to get in your way when you hear someone slandering his neighbor. Instead, say this to him, Brother, stop it! I do worse things every day, so how can I criticize him? You accomplish two things when you say this. You heal yourself and you heal your neighbor with one bandage. Do not make judgments and you will travel no quicker road to the forgiveness of your sins. This is the tenth step, and he who succeeds in it has practiced love or mourning."

STEP 11: ON TALKATIVENESS AND SILENCE

  What we have learned in the tenth step "On Slander" may make it easier for us to understand what we are about to encounter in the eleventh step; "On Talkativeness and Silence". St. John begins step eleven by referring back to step ten and revealing how one is tied to the other: "The brief discussion in the previous chapter was concerned with the great danger of passing judgment on others, or rather with being judged and being punished by one's own tongue, and it touched on the fact that this vice can lay hold of the most apparently spiritual people." St. John goes on to indicate that another cause of slander is talkativeness because most people do not think about what they say or even how much they talk. It's true. Most of us are uncomfortable with silence. Our lives are filled with noise, be it: radios, televisions, or conversation. Consider how uncomfortable everyone feels when there is silence. It's often considered to be a sign of something wrong, when in fact nothing is further from the truth. St. John explains the spiritual dangers of talkativeness and benefits of silence thus:

  "Talkativeness is the throne of vainglory on which it loves to preen itself and show off. Talkativeness is a sign of ignorance, a doorway to slander, a leader of jesting, a servant of lies, the ruin of compunction, a summoner of despondency, a messenger of sleep, a dissipation of recollection, the end of vigilance, the cooling of zeal, the darkening of prayer. Intelligent silence is the mother of prayer, freedom from bondage, custodian of zeal, a guard on our thoughts, a watch on our enemies, a prison of mourning, a friend of tears, a sure recollection of death, a painter of punishment, a concern with judgment, servant of anguish, foe of license, a companion of stillness, the opponent of dogmatism, a growth of knowledge, a hand to shape contemplation, hidden progress, the secret journey upward."

  I can say from personal experience that it is very difficult to practice silence. It is very difficult to control the mouth, very difficult to shut up! It is even more difficult to keep a constant vigil on what we say. This is because we are lazy and undisciplined. To many of us talking has become an unconscious act like blinking or breathing.

  St. John writes, "The tongue is a member of the body, like the rest, and therefore needs to be trained in its habits."

  Don't despair. It took time to learn to walk, to read and write, and to achieve any of the things that are worthwhile. Why should spirituality be any different? We know that in order to prepare for a career we must complete elementary, secondary and post secondary schooling. We think nothing of making such an investment in a career. By investing time and effort in mastering the virtues we benefit in this life by being better people: better children, better parents, better friends and neighbors, and most importantly we draw closer to God.

  St. John tells us, "The lover of silence draws close to God. He talks to Him in secret and God enlightens him. Jesus, by His silence, shamed Pilate; and a man, by his stillness, conquers vainglory."

  To be silent is to be alone with one's self, to come face to face with one's true thoughts and feelings, to learn what is in one's heart. This can be a very frightening experience because it means coming to terms, not only with who we are, but also with what is wrong with us. It means accepting that we are sinners and recognizing our weaknesses and admitting that we are not always justified. That is exactly what we need to do in order to ascend to God! We must also be silent if we wish to hear God speak to our hearts. One always learns more from listening than from talking.

  We all know this and yet when was the last time you asked yourself: "Should I be saying this?" or "Is it really necessary for me to speak?" or "Is what I have to say really important?" We must think that what we have to say is important or informative, otherwise we wouldn't be so eager and so determined to share our thoughts, knowledge and opinions about everything and everybody with everyone. St. John told us that, "Talkativeness is the throne of vainglory on which it loves to preen itself and show off." Isn't that what's really going on much of the time? Aren't we being prideful and isn't our talkativeness driven by pride? Why else would we think that others would want to hear our opinions? Why else would we feel the need to express whether or not we approve of something or someone? What makes us so wise, so cultural, so tasteful, so righteous? Yes, there are times when we have something to contribute, but even at those times we still need to think before we speak.

  "It is hard to keep water in without a dike. But it is harder still to hold in one's tongue. This is the eleventh step. He who succeeds in taking it has with one blow cut off a host of evils." (St. John)

STEP 12: TELLING THE TRUTH

  St. John presents step twelve, "Telling the truth" with these strong words: "From flint and steel comes fire; from chatter and joking comes lying. Lying is the destruction of charity, and perjury the very denial of God."

  There is so little regard for the truth in our society that even a good man can easily be seduced into telling a lie. On the one hand we hear harsh testimonials like "once a liar always a liar" and "once you've been caught in a lie you can never be believed again" and "never trust a liar", while on the other hand there's "white lies" and "half truths" and "bending the truth not to hurt someone's feelings". Personally I consider a friend someone who I can count on to always tell me the truth, even, and especially when it hurts. I was outraged when I found out that my son's school was teaching children in a course that was intended to teach about "values, influences and peers" that it was all right to tell a "white lie". Lying was actually being taught as a "coping skill". I thought coping meant facing and dealing with something, not avoiding it through denial.

  The fact is, it's all around us and we've all been guilty more than we'd like to admit. The exaggerations, the excuses, the out and out lies are bad enough, but what's worse is the lack of remorse, or sense of any wrongdoing. What's worse is that we occasionally actually believe that it was necessary or in other words, that we were justified! People's lives weren't at stake! How could we be justified? How many lies have been forgotten, casually swept under the rug and never thought of again, not even at Holy Confession?

  St. John writes: "A man may lie on the grounds of prudence and indeed regard as an act of righteousness the actual destruction of his own soul. The inventor of lies declares that he is following the example of Rahab and maintains that his own destruction is the cause of salvation for others. Only when we are completely free of the urge to lie may we resort to it, and then only in fear and out of necessity."

  The greatest spiritual danger is that every lie attacks the heart making it weaker. This makes the heart less able to fight against evil. As the heart grows weaker, it grows more confused, less able to distinguish between truth and lies. This is essentially the same as not being able to distinguish between good and evil. According to the Scriptures the Lord declared Himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) and the devil to be the father of lies (John 8:44). If our hearts are full of lies then they are full of the devil. If our hearts are full of truth then they are full of God. The more the heart is filled with truth, the more pure it is. To have a pure heart is to know God, not to know about Him, but to actually know Him! Every Sunday in church we hear the Beatitudes tell us that only the pure of heart will see God. In Psalm 24 we find clearly stated what is required in order to stand in the presence of God: Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

  The pure in heart love God and are completely devoted to Him. They are truth loving, honest and meek. In their hearts there is no pride, no vanity, nothing that corrupts. They could not exist, yet alone stand in His presence if they were otherwise. In the Scriptures and in the writings of the Holy Fathers it is a well established spiritual law, which is more like a physical or natural law rather than a legal one, that darkness or evil cannot exist in the presence of Light or the perfect Goodness and absolute Purity and Truth that is God. The unclean would simply combust in the light of His Divinity. Just as light dispels darkness in nature, the Light of Perfect Truth destroys the darkness of evil. This is born out by the Scriptures: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie" (1 John 1:5,6) "Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God." (John 3:19,21) Again we see that truth is synonymous with good and that darkness cannot hide from or exist in the Light of God.

  God loves us and wants us to be with Him, but He warns us that we must prepare ourselves in order for that to happen. Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden because they could no longer safely exist in proximity to God in their corrupted state.

  Mary the Most Holy Mother of God is likened to the burning bush that burned but was not consumed because she was pure enough that her womb could house the Divine Fire of the Lord without being consumed.

  I pray that during this most Holy season of Great Lent we can all find the faith and love to confess our sins, casting out of our hearts all the slander, talkativeness and lies so that we may accept the Lord into our hearts, filling ourselves with the Truth and Life of Holy Communion, that He may shine in us and truly create in us a clean heart. That is why we are called the children of Light.

"This is the twelfth step. The man who has taken it has obtained the root of all blessings."