The Voice of Kindliness

I was struck by the words of our venerable Father John Climacus: “Lovers of God are moved to holy gaiety, to divine love and to tears both by worldly and by spiritual songs”. (15:61). I have read Climacus's book several times in my life; yet I had never noticed these words before. The Fathers’ words are kindly. They did not chastise me for my heedlessness, but rather led me to their conscious reach. Sometimes, when we read something unfamiliar in the writings of the Saints, they often correct us, and some other times, we find their eloquence resonating with us without our conscious awareness. This is the consistence of the Spirit with Himself. Was Climacus shaken by austerities that condemn people for joys we enjoy in our world? Christianity does not consist of things that are lived in heaven as if the Word of God was never incarnate; rather, it is heaven here; it is the free proclamation that includes the fact that God is also present in all goodness and beauty in the world. Thanks be to God Who makes the voice of kindliness stronger than any heedlessness.