Sunday of St. John Climacus
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The fourth Sunday of Lent is given to the commemoration of the great ascetic John of the Ladder, or John Climacus. He came to the monastery of Saint Catherine at the foot of Mount Sinai at sixteen years of age in the late 500s, and steadily progressed in holiness, first under the direction of an elder and then later in solitude on the holy mountain, studying both the Fathers and lives of the saints. At the age of 75, he had to give up his solitude to became the hegumen of the great monastery. His fame for holiness reached all the way to Rome, and St. Gregory the Great sent support for a hostel for pilgrims. We know of only one work of John's, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, from the early 600s, which to this day is read in eastern monasteries, of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox Churches during Great Lent, and an appendix, To The Pastor, written for the hegumen of the smaller Sinai monastery of St. George at Raithu.
The Ladder is a book of 30 steps to sanctity. The icon of the book famously shows monks being pulled off the ladder to heaven by devils, a stark reminder that everyone faces temptations that can lead us astray. The idea is to get back on the ladder and start ascending again, so that, God willing, we may reach theosis in this life, or be admitted to heaven soon after our deaths. Paulist Press put out an excellent edition of this book in 1982 that you can find online.
The Ladder describes how to raise one's soul and body to God through the acquisition of ascetic virtues. Climacus uses the analogy of Jacob's Ladder as the framework for his spiritual teaching. Each chapter is referred to as a "step", and deals with a separate spiritual subject. There are thirty Steps of the ladder, which correspond to the age of Jesus at his baptism and the beginning of his earthly ministry. Within the general framework of a 'ladder', Climacus' book falls into three sections. The first seven Steps concern general virtues necessary for the ascetic life, while the next nineteen (Steps 8-26) give instruction on overcoming vices and building their corresponding virtues. The final four Steps concern the higher virtues toward which the ascetic life aims. The final rung of the ladder—beyond prayer (προσευχή), stillness (ἡσυχία), and even dispassion (ἀπαθεία)--is love (ἀγάπη).
Originally written simply for the monks of a neighboring monastery, the Ladder swiftly became one of the most widely read and much-beloved books of Byzantine spirituality. This book is one of the most widely-read among Eastern Christians, especially during the season of Great Lent. It is often read in the trapeza (refectory) in monasteries during meals, and in some places it is read in church as part of the Daily Office on Lenten weekdays, being prescribed in the Triodion.