The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIV: On Meekness, Part III

Nov 16, 2023

Delving into the dangers of deceitful disposition and misused intelligence, the podcast explores the impact of guile on virtues like humility and repentance. It contrasts genuine piety with sham reverence, emphasizing living upright lives centered on God. The discussion touches on the complexities of distinguishing between genuine intentions and manipulative behavior.

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INSIGHT

Guile and Sociopaths

Sociopaths or psychopaths often exhibit high intelligence but lack empathy and a sense of right and wrong.
They manipulate others for their own benefit, often in corporate settings.

INSIGHT

Hindrance to Resurrection

Guile hinders resurrection, referring to the exaltation that comes through humility.
By opposing humility and truth, guile prevents one from experiencing the fullness of life.

ANECDOTE

Nathanael's Guilelessness

Christ called Nathanael an Israelite with no guile, possibly because Nathanael was meditating under a fig tree.
This suggests that immersing oneself in scripture cultivates a humble, guileless spirit.

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Guile. It is rarely a word that is used in our day; nor one which we use to examine our own minds and hearts. Yet, as St. John describes it, guile has an impact upon our vision of life, God, ourselves, and others. Our vision becomes wholly distorted and perverted. While guile is a kind of intelligence - it is sly and cunning. Understanding, then, is used to manipulate others and circumstances for one’s own benefit. This in turn creates an aversion to humility and repentance. The pretense of religion and religiosity begins to prevail in a person’s life. Reverence and piety becomes a sham. One becomes diabolical, and they use what is good in order to commit evil. It creates within the human heart a love of sin and so makes an individual the companion of the devil.

We are to live upright lives; that is, we are stand upright with our eyes fixed forward toward the life that God has made possible for us. How often we choose the path of beasts; our eyes directed downwards towards the things of this world and the satisfaction of our own appetites. The mind and the heart become sick and incapable of seeing the truth - so deeply have they sunk into the abyss of this unholy cunning.

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Text of chat during the group:

00:17:26 Celine Fournier: Hello I am new to the zoom. 00:18:12 FrDavid Abernethy: page 178 para 20 00:18:44 Walter Viola: First time attending. Been following via YouTube for a year. 00:29:39 David Swiderski: Wouldnt this be what we call today sociopaths? Often highly intelligent but are only able to see this benefits me now and this does not. There is no empathy or concept of a right and wrong. Working with excecutives in several pulbic companies I am convinced this is abnormally high in that group. 00:30:46 Louise: Guile seems to be the modus vivendi of psychopaths, or people I call satanic souls. 00:30:59 Kevin Burke: What is meant by “hindrance to resurrection?” 00:31:19 sue and mark: how would gaslighters come into play with this? 00:31:20 Anthony Rago: Yesterdays Gospel mentioned guile. Christ addresses Nathaniel as an Israelite in whom is no guile, is that to show he was outstanding in a crowd of people with guile? Or is it that he is an excellent specimen of a crowd of honest people? And what does that have to do with sitting under the fig tree? 00:32:38 Louise: If you meet one, go away, leave the scene ASAP. 00:36:02 Louise: Could we say that the ones are the bad seeds, the weeds? 00:36:49 Louise: ''he guile ones'' 00:38:17 Carol: do you think guile can exist more subtly in the hearts of all of us 00:39:38 Maureen Cunningham: Guile is when you plan to hurt another soul. 00:44:01 Daniel Allen: Not to change texts but this makes me think of the wisdom of St Isaac, “above all things love silence”. I tend to regret my words more than biting my tongue 00:44:37 Anthony Rago: This is why Jansenism was so serious. Pure as angels; Proud as devils 00:46:47 Maureen Cunningham: I did see that movie 00:47:06 Cindy Moran: Love that movie 00:48:32 Louise: What is the name again? 00:48:38 Cindy Moran: Jennifer Jones 00:48:40 Rod Castillo: Jennifer Jones 00:48:52 Rod Castillo: Song of Bernadette 01:00:30 Louise: Father, we lost you. 01:00:36 Cindy Moran: Frozen 01:03:09 David Swiderski: A priest in Spain explained this well to me. All churches are filled with stainglass windows of the saints who let the light of God enter into our lives. By struggling we slowly clean our own windows and dark stains to let the light of God to enter into this world and our communities. 01:17:26 Maureen Cunningham: If we are always looking at what is bad in us ? In the same way can gaze at how far we have come closer to Him 01:20:59 Cindy Moran: Fun fact: Jennifer Jones was married to movie mogul studio film executive David O. Selznick [Gone With the Wind] who was born here in Pittsburgh 01:21:08 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂 01:21:28 Lorraine Green: Thank you very much, Father 01:21:37 sue and mark: Thank you 01:21:40 Celine Fournier: Thank you 01:21:49 Louise: Thanks, Fr. 01:22:23 Cindy Moran: Thank you Father 01:22:24 mflory: Thanks you very much, Father! 01:22:31 Jeff O.: Thank you! 01:22:41 David Swiderski: May God bless you father! Thank you.