How to Climb Heaven's Ladder#
Holy Scripture cries out to us, brothers, saying:
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted...
If we want to reach the pinnacle of that lofty humility then, and if we want to arrive swiftly at that heavenly exaltation to which one mounts by the humility of this present life, we must by ascending erect that ladder which Jacob saw in his dream. On it angels appeared to him, ascending and descending. Surely we are to understand that ascent and descent this way:
we descend by self-exaltation and ascend by humility.
The ladder thus set up is your life in this world, which the Lord raises to heaven if our heart is humbled. The sides of this ladder we say are body and soul; between them our godly vocation has inserted various steps of humility and discipline which we must mount... Having mounted the steps of humility, the disciple will presently come to know that perfect love of God which casts out fear.#
Love is absent when pride is present. The path to perfect love is humility, for it is only the humble who shall ascend to heaven; The Throne Room of perfect love.
Today's Soul Snippet:
“Humility is recognising that you are nothing more than another beggar before the Throne of Grace." ~ Michael Cartwright
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# The above text (except for the final two lines) is a translation of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD) cited in The Steps of Humility & Pride (Trappist, Kentucky: Cistercian Publications 1973) back cover