Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchConferences of St. John Cassian: Conference One Part II - Goal of the Spiritual life (Purity of Heart)
Season 3 Episode 4
All Things Pass Away But Love
". . . fasting, vigils, scriptural meditation, nakedness, and total deprivation do not constitute perfection but are th…
12 years, 3 months ago
Conferences of St. John Cassian: Conference One Part I - Purity of Heart
Season 3 Episode 3
Therefore, we must follow completely anything that can bring us to this objective, to this purity of heart, and anything which pulls us away from it …
12 years, 3 months ago
Introduction to the Life, Times and Writings of St. John Cassian Part II
Season 3 Episode 2
II. Conquest of Sin:
Both eastern and western spirituality as a whole conceives of the ascetic life as a slow progress upward toward God, a climb of…
12 years, 4 months ago
Introduction to the Life, Times and Writings of St. John Cassian
Season 3 Episode 1
JOHN CASSIAN
How Cassian must be read
Cassian himself ceaselessly reiterated that you cannot understand the monastic life unless you are attempting…
12 years, 4 months ago
Ladder of Divine Ascent - Step 29 On Dispassion Part II and Step 30 on Love
Season 2 Episode 36
Dispassion:
St. John's words in this chapter are a wake-up call. They remind us of how far we are from spiritual perfection. They humble us. They …
12 years, 4 months ago
Ladder of Divine Ascent - Step 28 On Prayer Part II and Step 29 On Dispassion
Season 2 Episode 35
Prayer
For our prayer to lead to union with God, it is always necessary for it to be offered in a spirit of contrition. St. John notes: "Even if you…
12 years, 4 months ago
Ladder of Divine Ascent - Step 28 On Prayer Part I
Season 2 Episode 34
As we noted in the beginning of our study of The Ladder, the goal of all spiritual labors is communion with God. We do not seek an abstract vision o…
12 years, 5 months ago
Ladder of Divine Ascent - Step 27 On Stillness Part II
Season 2 Episode 33
St. John in the final section of this step begins to describe the struggle for stillness. First, St. John details those things that threaten to dest…
12 years, 5 months ago
Ladder of Divine Ascent - Step 27 On Stillness
Season 2 Episode 32
Stillness may be equated to peace of soul; the absence of spiritual warfare and the presence of calm. We beginners in the spiritual life cannot ima…
12 years, 6 months ago
Ladder of Divine Ascent - Step 26 On Discernment Part III
Season 2 Episode 31
St. John then discusses more advanced forms of discernment and how such a gift may be fostered in a persons' soul. (a) He speaks of the necessity of…
12 years, 6 months ago