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freedom from cowardice comes when we accept all unexpected events with a contrite heart

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Saint John Climacus

step 21 : the ladder of divine ascent: no. 9

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The work of prayer exposes lovers of God.

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Saint John Climacus

step 20 : the ladder of divine ascent: no. 8

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Insensibility is negligence that has become habit. (It is) the ignorance of compunction,  the door to despair, the loss of fear, which gives birth to the loss of the fear of God.

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Saint John Climacus

step 18 : the ladder of divine ascent: no. 2

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Waves never leave the sea, nor do anger and grief leave the avaricious.

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Saint John Climacus

step 17 : the ladder of divine ascent : no. 10

Avarice, or love of money, is the worship of idols, a daughter of unbelief, an excuse for infirmaries, a forboder of old age, a harbinger of drought, a herald of famines.

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Saint John Climacus

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step 16 : the ladder of divine ascent: no. 2

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for lovers of God are moved to gladness, to divine love and to tears both by worldly and spiritual songs

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Saint John Climacus

step 15 : the ladder of divine ascent: no. 61

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By stinting the stomach the heart is humbled +

stint your stomach and you will certainly lock your mouth

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Saint John Climacus

step 14 : the Ladder of Divine Ascent: no. 22 and 24

A babe knows nothing of lying, neither does a soul that has been stripped of guile.

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Saint John Climacus

step 12 : the ladder of divine ascent  : no. 13