Ladder of Divine Ascent Step Twelve - On Falsehood

            Throughout the Ladder John Climacus discusses the logical progression from one vice to another.  And so it is with the vice of falsehood.  It arises out of undisciplined chatter, talkativeness and foolery.  Falsehood, or lying, John states, is the destroyer of charity and perjury is the denial of God himself.  Thus, he tells us, we must not be fooled into thinking that lying is a minor offense.  In reality, it is a sin "above all others."

            The effects of one who lies are not restricted to himself, but have the consequence of leading others into sin.  Through their ability to deceive, and provoke laughter in doing so, they often distract others from their spiritual pursuits and dry up their tears of contrition.  Therefore, John argues that we should seek to separate ourselves from such people, or, when appropriate and helpful, to offer fraternal correction with charity.

           

         To combat such a vice we must foster a genuine fear of the Lord and the judgement He will bring.  A strong and well-formed conscience will serve us well in this task.  Likewise, true compunction will aid us in this struggle.  Sorrow for one's sins will destroy this vice.

1-2            Falsehood defined: where it comes from and what it leads to in the spiritual life.

            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.

            No sensible man imagines that lying is a minor failing.  Indeed the All-Holy Spirit pronounced the most dreadful sentence on this sin above all others; and if, as David says to God, "You will destroy everyone speaking a lie" (Ps. 5:7), what will happen to those who swear to their lies on oath?

3            How one must respond to lying and liars.

            I have seen men, proud of their ability to lie, and exciting laughter by their clowning and joking, who have miserably destroyed in their hearers the habit of mourning.  But when the demons observe that we stay clear of the sallies of some outstanding wit, as though we were avoiding the plague, they try to catch us with two seemingly plausible thoughts, namely that we should not be offensive to the person telling the witty story and we should not give the appearance of loving God more than he does.  Be off!  Do not dawdle!  Otherwise the jokes will start coming back to you when you are at prayer.  But do not simply run away.  Break up the bad company in a devout way by setting before them the thought of death and judgment . . .  .

4            The Mother and cause of lying.

            Hypocrisy is the mother of lying and frequently its cause.  Some would argue that hypocrisy is nothing other than a meditation on falsehood, that it is the inventor of falsehood laced with lies.

5            What makes one give up lying: the fear of God and a good conscience.

            The man gifted with fear of the Lord has given up lying, for within him he has conscience, that incorruptible judge.

6            Various forms of lying.  Each harms in its own way.

            Various kinds of harm can be observed in the passions, and lying is no exception.  So one judgment awaits the man who lies out of fear, another the liar who has nothing at all to worry about.  One man lies for the sheer pleasure of it, another for amusement, another to raise a laugh among bystanders, another to trap his brother and do him harm.

7-8            Some lies mask themselves as prudence and as serving the good.  Admittedly, John states, there may be some circumstances when one may resort to concealing the truth, but only when there is no desire to do such a thing and when compelled by fear or necessity.  True innocence, however, knows nothing of this vice.

            Magistrates can root out lying with tortures, though it is an abundance of tears that truly destroys it.  A man may lie on the grounds of prudence, and indeed regards 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.  A baby does not know how to lie, and neither does a soul cleansed of evil.

9-10            One who is honest with himself will be honest with others.  Truth, John concludes, is the root of all blessings.  The more we tell the truth the more pure our hearts become and the more surely and intimately do we know God.  "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit" (1 Peter 3:10).           

            A man drunk on wine unwittingly tells the truth about everything.  And a man drunk with compunction cannot lie.

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

Ladder of Divine Ascent - Step 10 On Slander

    

        We are all aware of the nature of slander.  To slander someone is to speak evil of them behind their backs; it is to criticize them and to malign them to others.  For St. John, it is spiritually dangerous for two reasons. 

            First, it is hypocritical.  Very often when we slander others we practice the worst kind of deceit.  The person whom we are slandering knows nothing of our dislike or disagreement.  We say nothing to them.  Yet, when they are not around, we speak of them negatively to others.  This is duplicity.  

Putting others down can also be a way that we "build" ourselves up.  It makes us look good (pious, intelligent, etc.) to be able to point out the bad in someone else.  It often puts us into the good graces of others when we join them in their slander.  Notice how we use others for our own gain when we act this way.  Our concern is not for them (we would speak to them first if it was), nor is our concern for the safety of the ones to whom we speak . . . Our concern is for ourselves.  We look good at the expense of someone else.  How far have we strayed from the path of divine love and self-sacrifice.  The Bible says: "Love covers a multitude of sins."  We, with a malicious spirit, often delight in exposing the mistakes and weaknesses of others.

            Secondly, St. John condemns slander because of the attitude which lies behind it.  Slander is the fruit of a judgmental spirit.  The Apostle James identifies the connection: "Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.  He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law.  But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.  There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.  Who are you to judge another?" (James 1:11).  When we judge others we make ourselves equal to God.  In so doing, we invite His strict judgment. 

            To encourage us to refrain from judging others, John points out how very often our judgments our incorrect.  Given the finitude of our minds and knowledge, we see all things not as they are in fulfillment but as they are in process.  We do not know the end to which a person may come and we certainly cannot read their hearts.  In fact, when we judge others, we often condemn those who have already repented and been forgiven by God.  We oppose God's mercy with our own justice. 

            A judgmental spirit also carries with it a spiritual boomerang.  "Those who pass speedy and harsh judgment on the sins of their neighbors fall into this passion."  There are certain "laws" which govern the spiritual realm even as "natural laws" govern the physical.  One of these is that what we judge others for we will soon be guilty of ourselves in some form or another.

            To all of us who struggle with this dangerous sin, St. John has direct advice:  Remain silent and offer prayers for your brothers and sisters in love.

                                                                                   

1-3            Slander defined: Where it comes from and what it leads to in the spiritual life.

            Slander is the offspring of hatred, a subtle and yet crass disease, a leech in hiding and escaping notice, wasting and draining away the lifeblood of love.  It puts on the appearance of love and is the ambassador of an unholy and unclean heart.  And it is the ruin of chastity.

            There are girls who flaunt their shamelessness, but there are others who are much worse, for they put on the appearance of great modesty while secretly engaging in abominable behavior.  So it is with shameful vices.  And indeed there are numerous insincere maidens: hypocrisy, cunning, melancholy, brooding over past injuries, secret contempt for others.  They put on a show of doing one thing -  and then act otherwise.

           

4-7            John tells us that we should not let our concern for others be deformed by the use of slanderous words.  Rather, our practice should be one of silence.  Even if our brother happens to be in great sin, John states, we should remain steadfast in our love for him by offering silent prayers on his behalf.  We must recognize that the true source of his sin is the prompting of demons.   Moreover, we must actively prevent others from engaging in slander.

            I have rebuked people who were engaged in slander, and, in self-defense, these evildoers claimed to be acting out of love and concern for the victim of their slander.  My answer to that was to say . . . "If, as you insist, you love that man, then do not be making a mockery of him, but pray for him in secret, for this is the kind of love that is acceptable to the Lord."

            If you want to overcome the spirit of slander, blame not the person who falls but the prompting demon.  No one wants to sin against God, even though all of us sin without being compelled to it.

            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?"  You accomplish two things when you say this.  You heal yourself and you heal your neighbor with the one bandage.

8-12            John warns that slander and true repentance cannot coexist.  Spiritual growth is all but stifled by this vice and those who continually slander others are destined to fall into like passions.  Slander reveals that a man has forgotten his past sins.  He no longer mourns for his own transgressions and so turns his eye to another.  Moreover, slander is often a cloak for an immoral life - a tool used to hide one's own hateful actions.

            Do not make judgments, and you will travel no quicker road to the forgiveness of your sins.  "Judge not, so that you may not be judged." (Luke 6:37).

           

            Fire and water do no mix, neither can you mix judgement of others with the desire to repent.  If a man commits a sin before you at the very moment of his death, pass no judgment, because the judgment of God is hidden from men.  It has happened that men have sinned greatly in the open but have done greater good deeds in secret, so that those who disparage them have been fooled, with smoke instead of sunlight in their eyes.  So listen to me, all you accountants of other people's faults, listen well; for if, as is certain, it is true that "you shall be judged with the judgement you have used yourselves" (Matt. 7:2), then whatever sin of body or spirit that we ascribe to our neighbor we will surely fall into ourselves.

            

            Those who pass speedy and harsh judgments on the sins of their neighbors fall into this passion because they themselves have so far failed to achieve a complete and unceasing memory of and concern for their own sins.  Anyone untrammeled by self-love and able to see his own faults for what they are would worry about no one else in this life.  He would feel that his time on earth did not suffice for his own mourning, even if he lived a hundred years, and even if a whole Jordan of tears poured out of his eyes.  Mourning of that kind has, as I know, no trace in it of slander or harsh judgment.

            You can always recognize people who are malicious and slanderous.  They are filled with the spirit of hatred.  Gladly and without a qualm they slander the teaching, the doings and the virtues of their neighbor.  I have known men who secretly had committed very grave sins and had not been found out, yet cloaked in their supposed goodness they lashed out against people who had done something minor in public.

13-17            Finally, John warns, this sin threatens spiritual ruin.  By usurping the prerogative of God in judging our brothers and sisters, we invite our own condemnation.  Looking for and judging the weaknesses and faults of others produces only one fruit - spiritual death.   

            To pass judgment on another is to usurp shameless the prerogative of God, and to condemn is to ruin one's soul.

            

             Self-esteem, even when there are no other attendant vices, can bring a man down.  Similarly, if we have got into the habit of passing judgments, we can be destroyed by this alone, for the Pharisee was condemned for this very thing.

            

            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.  It is of such a one that is was said, "They have searched out iniquity and died in the search" (Ps. 63:7).

            

            Do not condemn.  Not even if your very eyes are seeing something, for they may be deceived.