Saintly Sips
with Deacon Ken

Above 8,000 meters or 26,247 feet, mountaineers enter what is known as the “Death Zone.” At this altitude, the human body cannot survive for long on its own. The air is too thin. Strength fades, judgment weakens, and even elite climbers must rely on supplemental oxygen to continue upward. No amount of experience or determination can overcome this limit. To go higher, help from beyond oneself is essential.

 

The spiritual life has its own death zone.

 

“There is no mountaintop view without a climb.” Growth requires effort, perseverance, and sacrifice. Early in the spiritual journey, the ascent is fueled by discipline and resolve. We choose to pray, form habits of virtue, learn the Church’s teachings, receive the sacraments, and strive to live moral lives. The climb matters. Yet if we continue upward; if we truly desire holiness, we eventually reach a point where effort alone is not enough.

 

This is where frustration often enters spiritual life. Prayer grows dry. Old sins reappear in subtler forms. We discover that knowing about God is not the same as being transformed by God. What feels like failure is often the end of self-reliance.

 

The saints knew this well. St. Paul writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Sanctity is not self-improvement; it is cooperation with grace.

 

In the spiritual death zone, humility becomes oxygen. We learn to pray with surrender: “Lord, I cannot breathe here without You.” The sacraments become life-sustaining encounters. Confession admits poverty of spirit. The Eucharist is true Bread for the journey when strength fails.

 

“There is no mountaintop view without a climb,” but there is no summit reached without God. The Death Zone teaches a holy truth: we were never meant to reach the heights of holiness alone.

 

God Bles you all;

Deacon Ken