Step 9: On Malice (Remembrance of Wrongs) and Step 10: On Slander — The Ladder of Divine Ascent — Fourth Sunday of Lent

March 22, 2026 during Divine Liturgy

On the fourth Sunday of Lent on which the Orthodox Church commemorates St. John Climacus, author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent (full text can be found here), Fr. Matthew Howell preaches about Steps 9 and 10 of The Ladder: “On Malice” and “On Slander.” Fr. Matthew gives a brief overview of St. John’s life and seminal text which is read almost universally in Orthodox monasteries during Lent. He then continues his years-long project of preaching through the steps of the Ladder of Divine Ascent. His focus is on Steps 9 and 10 this year. St. John claims that Malice is the offspring of Anger (Step 8), and that Slander is the offspring of hatred and malice. Fr. Matthew curates quotes from these chapters to give listeners a first-hand glimpse into St. John’s style of analysis, illustrations, and suggestive cures for these passions. Fr. Matthew points out, as St. John does, that these passions prevent us from loving God and from loving neighbor as God calls us to.

 

Previous Homilies for the Fourth Sunday of Lent:

Hebrews 6:13-20

BRETHREN, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Mark 9:17-31

At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise.