The Ladder of the Beatitudes by Jim Forest

The Ladder of the Beatitudes Reviews

• 
  Jaci

  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.
• 
  Else

  Inciteful, engaging explanations of the meaning of the Beatitudes. Very helpful for Bible study!
• 
  Ben Sooy

  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.
• 
  Volkert

  The Beatitudes, the opening passages of the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Book of Saint Matthew, has been my favorite passage of Scripture for virtually my whole life. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…,” etc., to me, summarizes what the Christian life should be, or at least what each Christian should be striving for.
  
  After hearing Jim Forest give a talk on the Beatitudes in Toronto, Canada, in the Spring of 2018, I decided to pick up a copy of this book. I’ve read several of Jim’s other books, including his book on icons, advice on peacemaking, a biographical book on Thomas Merton, and another one on Fr. Daniel Berrigan. Why I had not read “The Ladder of the Beatitudes” earlier, especially since it was published in 1999, the same year I was received into the Orthodox Church, is a mystery. But I finally bought it and read it.
  
  I would have to say that this little volume (163 pages, including endnotes), is now one of my favorite books that explains what Christianity is, or at least should be. Jim describes each beatitude as a rung on an ascending ladder, starting with poor in spirit, then continuing through those who mourn, meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers and ending with those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.
  
  While persecution is not something we would desire, but if we follow the example of our Master, as well as prophets of the old testament, and many (if not most) of the early Christian martyrs, persecution can come with the package.
  
  This volume is filled with quotes from early Church writers, saints and theologians throughout history, borrowing from both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, and portions of Scripture (Old and New Testament). Jim presents a convincing argument that this is the path Christians should follow. The Beatitudes can be used as a guide when preparing for confession. Jim has a very readable style, and I can’t recommend this book enough. I will be purchasing additional copies to give away as gifts.
• 
  Sujit Thomas

  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.
• 
  Emma

  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.
  
  Original post:
  
  http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
  
  Emma @ Words And Peace
• 
  Marc Washburne

  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.]
• 
  Beverly

  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.
  
  
• 
  Will

  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.
• 
  David Clifton

  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."
• 
  Randall Herman

  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.
  
  
  
• 
  Danielle Alcazar

  I can't say I agree with everything in here, but this is definitely a worthy read, regardless.
• 
  David Smith

  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.
• 
  Karen

  6 stars!