Episode 8: How to Deal with Pain and Suffering, in John of the Ladder, Prof. C. Veniamin

Mystical Theology: Introducing the Theology and Spiritual Life of the Orthodox Church

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Episode 8: How to Deal with Pain and Suffering
Unit 15: “John of the Ladder: Principles of the Christian Life”, by Prof. Christopher Veniamin
Series: “Mystical Theology"
In Episode 8 of "John of the Ladder, Prof. Christopher Veniamin reads the sections “Macedonius the archdeacon” and “Again about the steward”, who are placed before us as an examples of Christlike humility. Themes include accepting injustice, how the Saints deal with suffering and the enemy, thoughts, reason and the imagination, the noetic and rational faculties, following the way of Christ, and the need for guidance.
Themes from this episode are listed in the Timestamps below.
Q&As available in The Professor’s Blog: https://mountthabor.com/blogs/the-professors-blog
Recommended background reading: The Ladder of Divine Ascent (Holy Transfiguration Monastery); Saint Silouan the Athonite, by St. Sophrony the Athonite; and The Enlargement of the Heart, by Archimandrite Zacharias
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my indebtedness to the spoken and written traditions of Sts Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, Fr. Zacharias Zacharou, Fr. Kyrill Akon, Fr. Raphael Noica, Fr. Symeon Brüschweiler; Fr. John Romanides, Fr. Pavlos Englezakis, Fr. Georges Florovsky, Prof. Constantine Scouteris, Prof. George Mantzarides, Prof. John Fountoulis, Mtp Hierotheos Vlachos, Mtp Kallistos Ware, and Prof. Panayiotes Chrestou. My presentations have been enriched by all of the above sources. Responsibility however for the content of my presentations is of course mine alone. ©Christopher Veniamin 2024

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1. Reading “About Macedonius the archdeacon” (pp. 32-33) (00:00:00)

2. Commentary (00:03:35)

3. Accepting injustice (00:04:06)

4. Privilege to read St. John (00:06:40)

5. How to deal with suffering & the example of the Saints (00:06:56)

6. “Such sweetness of divine light” (00:08:01)

7. Reading “Again about the steward” (pp. 33-34) (00:08:38)

8. Commentary (00:10:50)

9. St. Porphyrios & “periphronesis” (00:13:35)

10. Elder Thaddeus: “Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives” (00:14:15)

11. Mtp Hierotheos: “We must become factories of good thoughts” (00:14:26)

12. Reason and imagination (fantasy) (00:14:56)

13. Noetic and rational faculties (00:15:18)

14. Union of the “nous” with the “heart” (00:16:05)

15. Discovering and awakening the “heart” (00:16:46)

16. Following the way of Christ (00:17:39)

17. St. Sophrony and the prerogative of suffering (00:19:21)

18. The need for guidance (00:23:18)

19. Appeal (00:23:55)