Step 7: Mourning

“Mourning which is according to God is a melancholy of the soul, a disposition of an anguished heart that passionately seeks what it thirsts for, and when it fails to attain it, pursues it diligently and follows behind it lamenting bitterly.”

--St. John Climacus

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted’”

--Matthew 5:4

It’s not hard to see a connection between this step in The Ladder of Divine Ascent and the previous one, the remembrance of death.  Just as we saw that keeping our mortality in mind doesn’t have to be morbid but can be an incentive to make the most of our time for God and the Kingdom, so mourning has a more important meaning than moping around draped in black crepe.

The above quote from St. John Climacus would suggest that his understanding of mourning in the context of growing as a Christian is slightly different from the common usage of the word.  Yes, there is the element of melancholy and lament, but there is also passionate longing and relentless pursuit.  In some ways, John’s concept of mourning is more akin to another of the beatitudes, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

The desire for righteousness is a hunger that we will never satisfy in this life.  Perfection is a goal that we will never achieve this side of eternity.  Some people, when faced with their own imperfections, will give up trying to be holy.  Others will see it as a challenge to be faced.  This is, I believe, the more Christian response.  You and I are called to be heroes.  Heroes do not always achieve their goals, but heroes do not give up.  And heroes usually have a healthy sense of their own shortcomings.  That’s where St. John’s idea of mourning comes in.

None of us may be able to achieve perfection, but all of us can become more perfect.  The first step is to recognize where we need strengthening.  The next step is to develop the resolve to be strengthened.  That’s what mourning is.  It is sorrow for our weakness accompanied by a passionate resolve to overcome it for the love of God.  It is lamenting how far from perfect we are even as we struggle forward, striving to lessen the distance.  It is the spirit that creates champions and saints, which is what you and I are called to become.

Prayer:

O God, give us a healthy sorrow and a longing for your presence so that we may never be satisfied with where we are in our spiritual journey.  May we always have the passion and desire to take the next step toward holiness, the next step toward you, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

St. John Climacus, pray for us.