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Chapter 25GradH.1.25

De gradibus humilitatis et superbiae

The Ladder of Ascent

The author laments his own inadequacy yet, sustained by divine help, sets up the ladder of ascent toward God's salvation, looking up to the Lord who calls and strengthens him.

But what am I doing, wretched as I am — running through two heavens, the upper ones, with more idle talk than spiritual energy, when I'm still crawling on hands and knees under the lower one?1 To this, nevertheless, now — with him himself helping me, and calling me — I have set up a ladder for myself.✦2 For there indeed is the way by which he may show me God's salvation. Now I look up to the Lord leaning down from above; now I exult at the voice of Truth. He called me, and so I answered him: You will stretch out your right hand to the work of your own hands.✦3

A Plea for Prayer on the Journey

Acknowledging his slowness and vulnerability to delay, the author urgently asks others to pray that he may persevere and that the foot of pride never overtake him.

You, Lord, number my steps, but I am a slow climber, a weary traveler, always looking for detours. Woe to me if darkness overtakes me, or if my flight happens in winter, or on the Sabbath — while now, when it is an acceptable time and a day of salvation, I keep putting off the journey toward the light.✦4 Why do I delay? Pray for me, son, brother, companion, and partner in my progress — whoever you are, in the Lord. Pray to the Almighty that he may strengthen my sluggish foot, so that the foot of pride never overtakes me.5 For even if the sluggish foot is not fit to climb toward truth, it is still more tolerable than the foot of one who cannot stand in truth — as it says there: 'They were driven out, and they could not stand.'6

Read the original Latin

Sed quid ego miser, superflua magis loquacitate quam spiritus vivacitate, duos caelos superiores percurro, qui manibus pedibusque repens adhuc sub inferiore laboro? Ad quod tamen iam, ipso iuvante, quo et vocante, mihi scalam erexi. Illic siquidem iter est, quo ostendat mihi salutare Dei. Iam Dominum desuper innixum suspicio, iam ad vocem Veritatis exsulto. Vocavit me, et ergo respondi illi: Operi manuum tuarum porriges dexteram.

Tu quidem, Domine gressus meos dinumeras, sed ego lentus ascensor, fessus viator, diverticula quaero. Vae mihi, si tenebrae me comprehendant, aut si mea fuga fiat in hieme, vel in sabbato, dum nunc ad lucem, cum tempus acceptabile et dies salutis sunt, proficisci dissimulo. Quid moror? Ora pro me, fili, frater, socie, et particeps profectus mei, si quis es, in Domino. Ora Omnipotentem, quatenus sic pigrum roboret pedem, ut tamen non veniat mihi pes superbiae. Etsi enim pes piger, ut ad veritatem ascendat, idoneus non est; tolerabilior est tamen isto, qui in ea stare non potest, ut habes ibi: Expulsi sunt, nec potuerunt stare.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Gen.28.12 — And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
  2. ↩Ps.137.7 — Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, 'Raze it, raze it, down to its foundations.'
  3. ↩2Cor.6.2 — For he says, 'In an acceptable time I listened to you, and on a day of salvation I helped you.' Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The 'two heavens' image is likely figurative: the 'upper heavens' represent higher spiritual truths or aspirations the speaker claims to traverse in speech, while the 'lower heaven' is the humble ground of actual spiritual effort where he still crawls. The contrast is between lofty talk and lowly practice.
  2. 2 ↩The 'ladder' (scala) evokes Jacob's ladder (Gen 28:12) — a means of ascent between earth and heaven. The speaker acknowledges that the initiative comes from God ('ipso iuvante, quo et vocante') even as he describes his own effort ('mihi scalam erexi').
  3. 3 ↩The phrase 'Operi manuum tuarum porriges dexteram' is a prayer that God will extend his help ('right hand') to the work God himself has begun in the speaker. The 'work of your hands' may refer both to the speaker's own efforts and to the speaker as God's creature and handiwork.
  4. 4 ↩The allusions to 'acceptable time' and 'day of salvation' echo 2 Cor 6:2 (tempus acceptabile, dies salutis), though the Moses resolution will confirm the citation status.
  5. 5 ↩Pes superbiae (foot of pride) may echo Ps 35:12 [Vulg.] or similar; Moses resolution will confirm.
  6. 6 ↩The citation 'Expulsi sunt, nec potuerunt stare' is a candidate scripture allusion; Moses resolution will identify the source.

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