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The Ladder of the Beatitudes
Drawing on stories from the lives of the saints, scripture, and everyday life, Jim Forest opens up the mysteries of the Beatitudes. These ancient blessings, with which Christ began his Sermon on the Mount, are all aspects of communion with God. As Forest shows, they are like rungs on a ladder, each one leading to the next. They appear at the doorway of the New Testament to provide an easily memorized summary of everything that follows, right down to the crucifixion ("Blessed are you who are persecuted") and the resurrection ("Rejoice and be glad").
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
25 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Jim Forest
52 books32 followersJim Forest is a writer, Orthodox Christian lay theologian, educator, and peace activist. As a young man, Jim served in the U.S. Navy, working with a meteorology unit at the U.S. Weather Bureau headquarters near Washington, D.C. It was during this period that he became a Catholic. After leaving the Navy, Jim joined the staff of the Catholic Worker community in Manhattan, working close with the founder, Dorothy Day, and for a time serving as managing editor of the journal she edited, The Catholic Worker.
In 1964, while working as a journalist for The Staten Island Advance, in his spare time he co-founded the Catholic Peace Fellowship, working closely with Tom Cornell. This became a full-time job for both of them in 1965, a time that coincided with deepening U.S. military engagement in Vietnam. The main focus of their work was counseling conscientious objectors.
In 1968, while Jim working as Vietnam Program Coordinator of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Jim and thirteen others, mainly Catholic clergy, broke into nine Milwaukee draft boards, removing and burning some of the files in a nearby park while holding a prayer service. Most members of the "Milwaukee Fourteen" served thirteen months in prison for their action.
In the late sixties and mid-seventies, Jim also worked with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, first as Vietnam Program coordinator and later as editor of Fellowship magazine. From 1977 through 1988, he was Secretary General of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, work which brought him to the Netherlands. He received the Peacemaker Award from Notre Dame University's Institute for International Peace Studies and the St. Marcellus Award from the Catholic Peace Fellowship.
In 1988, Forest was received into the Orthodox Church. Since 1989, he has been international secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship as well as editor of its quarterly journal, In Communion. Jim had a long-term friendship with Thomas Merton, who dedicated a book to him, Faith and Violence. Jim also accompanied the famed Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. He and his wife Nancy, a translator and writer, live in Alkmaar, The Netherlands.
In 1964, while working as a journalist for The Staten Island Advance, in his spare time he co-founded the Catholic Peace Fellowship, working closely with Tom Cornell. This became a full-time job for both of them in 1965, a time that coincided with deepening U.S. military engagement in Vietnam. The main focus of their work was counseling conscientious objectors.
In 1968, while Jim working as Vietnam Program Coordinator of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Jim and thirteen others, mainly Catholic clergy, broke into nine Milwaukee draft boards, removing and burning some of the files in a nearby park while holding a prayer service. Most members of the "Milwaukee Fourteen" served thirteen months in prison for their action.
In the late sixties and mid-seventies, Jim also worked with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, first as Vietnam Program coordinator and later as editor of Fellowship magazine. From 1977 through 1988, he was Secretary General of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, work which brought him to the Netherlands. He received the Peacemaker Award from Notre Dame University's Institute for International Peace Studies and the St. Marcellus Award from the Catholic Peace Fellowship.
In 1988, Forest was received into the Orthodox Church. Since 1989, he has been international secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship as well as editor of its quarterly journal, In Communion. Jim had a long-term friendship with Thomas Merton, who dedicated a book to him, Faith and Violence. Jim also accompanied the famed Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. He and his wife Nancy, a translator and writer, live in Alkmaar, The Netherlands.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 4, 2024
A walk through progressing in maturity as one matures in Christianity. The progression can be found in the order of the Beatitudes. Lots of examples from saints, monks, authors, etcetera.
January 9, 2015
Very accessible study of the Beatitudes drawing from Christian (including Orthodox Christian) writings.
p.9: To climb the ladder of the beatitudes, we need to be climbing toward the living Christ, not a dead body or an intellectual concept.
p.34: If you do not travel with him whom you seek, you will not find him at the end of your journey.
p.45: God grant us the gift of tears: for those whom we miss, for our past sins, for the sins of others, for the violence we do to each other and to the world God gives to us each day.
p.77: French poet Leon Bloy: "Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God."
p.148: Mourning is also a surrender of self. In the grief of never again seeing in this world someone who has died, there is a deep realization of the infinite value of other lives and the certain knowledge that I am nothing if not in communion with others.
p.156: What keeps us from the beatitudes is fear--fear of others, fear of the contempt of our peers, fear of being a social castaway, fear of poverty, and ultimately, fear of death.
p.9: To climb the ladder of the beatitudes, we need to be climbing toward the living Christ, not a dead body or an intellectual concept.
p.34: If you do not travel with him whom you seek, you will not find him at the end of your journey.
p.45: God grant us the gift of tears: for those whom we miss, for our past sins, for the sins of others, for the violence we do to each other and to the world God gives to us each day.
p.77: French poet Leon Bloy: "Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God."
p.148: Mourning is also a surrender of self. In the grief of never again seeing in this world someone who has died, there is a deep realization of the infinite value of other lives and the certain knowledge that I am nothing if not in communion with others.
p.156: What keeps us from the beatitudes is fear--fear of others, fear of the contempt of our peers, fear of being a social castaway, fear of poverty, and ultimately, fear of death.
June 13, 2018
Great
Jim Forest is a kind and patient teacher who walks is through the Beatitudes, the core of Jesus's teachings. I loved this book and learned a lot.
Jim Forest is a kind and patient teacher who walks is through the Beatitudes, the core of Jesus's teachings. I loved this book and learned a lot.
May 28, 2018
Jim Forest is an Orthodox Christian who writes in the genre of Spirituality. The Ladder of the Beatitudes is a spiritual exposition of the Beatitudes found in Sermon on Mount in Gospel of St Matthew. As the title implies, Forest sees the beatitudes as steps in spiritual life and each beatitude as a rung in the ladder of spiritual ascent. As Forest states in the beginning this work is envisioned as a modern day "Ladder of Divine Ascent". Forest weaves together a beautiful tapestry of serious scriptural study, Orthodox insights and several spiritual anecdotes. Forest draws on a wide array of spiritual traditions to provide an integrated and Orthodox understanding of the spiritual life. I recommend this work for anyone interested in living out the Christian life.
June 9, 2011
This is a very good book to meditate on the landmark of the Gospel: The Beatitudes. I like Jim’s style very much, the way he has recourse to spiritual authors of the East and the West, as well as literature, interesting people he met, or personal experience, to comment on the Beatitudes and lead us deep into their reality. Whether you are Christian Orthodox, or from any other Christian denomination, it’s good to regularly meditate on the Beatitudes, and this book will do it beautifully for you.
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Emma @ Words And Peace
Original post:
http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
Emma @ Words And Peace
February 1, 2017
Drawing on stories from the lives of the saints, scripture, and everyday life, Jim Forest opens up the mysteries of the beatitudes. These ancient blessings, with which Christ began his Sermon on the Mount, are all aspects of communion with God. As Forest shows, they are like rungs on a ladder, each one leading to the next. They appear at the doorway of the New Testament to provide an easily memorized summary of everything that follows, right down to the crucifixion (“Blessed are you who are persecuted”) and the resurrection (“Rejoice and be glad”)[Words of peace summary.]
September 8, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. The author is a member of the Orthodox Church and he does an excellent job of delving into the mysteries of the beatitudes. He uses the lives of saints, scripture and everyday life to explain the meanings behind the words. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a deeper understanding of what Christ meant when he taught us the beatitudes.
November 14, 2008
I am indebted to Mr. Forest for giving me a deeper understanding of the Beatitudes, which is to say a deeper understanding and appreciation of the essence of Christianity.
November 10, 2012
Inciteful, engaging explanations of the meaning of the Beatitudes. Very helpful for Bible study!
July 13, 2019
Part spiritual instruction, part church history, I was blessed as I climbed "The Ladder if the Beatitudes" with Jim Forest.
From the book:
"The main word in the Beatitudes is blessed. Truly they are blessed who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who hunger for righteousness, who are merciful, who are pure heart, who make peace, who are as willing as the prophets to risk punishment for the sake of God's kingdom.
But there is another word in the beatitudes that lights up the text: rejoice.
If there is no God, or if God has no interest in the activities of creatures that happened to exist on particular planets, it hardly matters who we are, what we do, or what we believe. We are on our way to the dust bin where the dust is indistinguishable from the dust of John the Baptist.
But if the gospel is true, if the truest thing we can say is that God is love, if following Christ is the sanest and wisest thing we can do in our lives because each step forward brings us closer to the kingdom of God, then we have to rejoice in it.
Those who climb the ladder of the beatitudes are in the best of company: the prophets, the martyrs, and the saints -the great cloud of witnesses."
From the book:
"The main word in the Beatitudes is blessed. Truly they are blessed who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who hunger for righteousness, who are merciful, who are pure heart, who make peace, who are as willing as the prophets to risk punishment for the sake of God's kingdom.
But there is another word in the beatitudes that lights up the text: rejoice.
If there is no God, or if God has no interest in the activities of creatures that happened to exist on particular planets, it hardly matters who we are, what we do, or what we believe. We are on our way to the dust bin where the dust is indistinguishable from the dust of John the Baptist.
But if the gospel is true, if the truest thing we can say is that God is love, if following Christ is the sanest and wisest thing we can do in our lives because each step forward brings us closer to the kingdom of God, then we have to rejoice in it.
Those who climb the ladder of the beatitudes are in the best of company: the prophets, the martyrs, and the saints -the great cloud of witnesses."
June 7, 2024
Forest is Russian Orthodox. His premise is that Jesus’ beatitudes are a spiritual formation plan, that we begin with poverty of spirit and work our way up to being persecuted for our righteousness. That’s not the way I read the beatitudes, but it is consistent with many sermons and books. Maybe he’s right?
What I really liked about this book are the quotes from and the stories about Jesus’ followers through the ages - many have been ‘sainted’ by the Catholic or Russian Orthodox Church. Their close intimacy with the Spirit is invigorating.
What I really liked about this book are the quotes from and the stories about Jesus’ followers through the ages - many have been ‘sainted’ by the Catholic or Russian Orthodox Church. Their close intimacy with the Spirit is invigorating.
January 8, 2024
Don't miss it!
Simply one of the best books I've read! Jim Forest had been a worker with Dorothy Day in the Catholic Worker movement and was one of the founders of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship. This book follows the Beatitudes, and discusses each one. He talks about how each can be applied in our daily lives. This book was mentioned in an interview by Bishop Gerasim of the Orthodox Church in America, a friend of this very wise writer.
Simply one of the best books I've read! Jim Forest had been a worker with Dorothy Day in the Catholic Worker movement and was one of the founders of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship. This book follows the Beatitudes, and discusses each one. He talks about how each can be applied in our daily lives. This book was mentioned in an interview by Bishop Gerasim of the Orthodox Church in America, a friend of this very wise writer.
June 1, 2018
I can't say I agree with everything in here, but this is definitely a worthy read, regardless.
August 15, 2020
This book was used as the basis of a retreat I attended. It provided a guide for the development of virtue. Other perspectives were discussed that enriched this basic outline.
December 6, 2023
A meditative journey on climbing the spiritual ladder of the Beatitudes of Jesus and generously illustrating them with stories and quotes from Orthodox Christ followers.
January 17, 2025
I found this book to be very interesting and inspiring. I learned a lot about the Beatitudes and how they relate to me.
May 3, 2017
This book is a meditation on the Beatitudes from a Russian Orthodox perspective. However the insights are probably useful to people from all Christian traditions. The author draws heavily on the writings of the Desert Fathers and Russian Orthodox believers in addition to other authors to illustrate his points.
November 19, 2017
Lovely anecdotes of how we can live the beatitudes in our lives, be they ordinary or extraordinary. I particularly enjoyed the etymological analyses presented.
April 15, 2017
6 stars!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews