Different designations of degrees of spiritual development

However, the development in God’s grace is invisible. After all, however, it recognizes and estimated by external signs. It manifests itself in the action of man, in his efforts, in desires. For that certain stages of spiritual development can be indicated. Because it is an arbitrary division, it can be more degrees or less. The famous book of St. Ján Klimak Ladder to Heaven (Scala Paradise) describes the rise of perfection in 30 chapters. Origen speaks of 42 stops heading to the heavenly Jerusalem. It is the easiest and most natural, however, the division into three degrees of perfection. Everything like notes St. Thomas Aquinas, for he has a beginning, means and end. Thus, even in the spiritual life, they are beginners, advanced and perfect. Greek authors sometimes talk about those who are afraid of “who hope” and “who love”. Beginners for it leads to good the most fear of God’s punishments, the more advanced hope for rewards, the perfect then live mainly in God’s love. Life can be compared to a journey. Origen clung to such an image and developed it into a parable biblical idea. The life of a Christian begins by coming out of Egypt, that is, from the slavery of sin, going through the red plague, that is, baptismal cleansing. The end is the entrance to the Promised Land. In the meantime, however, the Jews stopped many times.
Symbolically, Origen interprets Hebrew names and calculated 42 “stops” on the path to perfection. However, it is the division is quite artificial, but the description of how the author gives it expresses a subtle life experience. However, it is much easier to compare spiritual growth to bodily life. Ascetic authors often talk about people who are still children, minors in the spiritual life, about men and finally about the elderly. The word “old man” indicates in ancient Christian literature a man so spiritually mature that he can be the spiritual leader of others. The stages of ascent, the stages of the journey, are determined primarily by what goal we have before our eyes. The Eastern Fathers had in mind, above all, the true knowledge of God, a contemplation called Greek theory.
Purification from sins, imperfections, life in virtues were simply called praxis, activity. So, they often said that the spiritual life is divided into two parts: praxis theory. The first stage leads to the second. However, the division into three levels is more liked. Therefore, they divided the theory into two further stages: 1. The search for God in created things, the so-called physical theory, and the 2nd knowledge of the Holy Trinity, that is, theology. These divisions seem artificial to us. Eastern authors who write about contemplation they commonly use them.
In the West, another division has taken place, although it also comes from the Eastern author, the Pseudo Dionysus of the Areopagus. There is often talk of a cleansing, enlightening and connecting way (via purgative, illumination, unitary). On the way to God it is necessary to first cleanse oneself of everything that hinders perfection. Then the growth in the knowledge of the truth begins, when the soul desires only to connect with God.
The names of the degrees indicate that these are different aspects of the spiritual life, one or the other of which predominates. So that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to clean up who anymore seeks to connect with God. The steps still overlap. So it’s hard to say who’s on. However, the preachers encourage constant progress, until real conversion, to hard work in improvement. Yet sensible spiritual leaders know it is harmful and unreasonable to hurry, it neglects a lot good when recklessly wants only the better. St Ján Klimak derisively says: «If anyone wants his floating in the sky of your own free will, pull it by the leg because he would almost fall and touch. “
So it is better to continue slowly, to improve in small things, but persevering and still, as inconspicuously every life grows. “One practices in one virtue, another traditionally in another, someone in all, »writes St. Gregor of Nazianzus,  “And we must all have one thing in common: steady growth.”