How are you? Do you feel well? Do you feel depressed? We must not become downhearted, air grievance over our diseases and sorrows, for there is law established by God, that is firmer than heaven and earth, according to which, “We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” Meanwhile, we have entered today into a period in the life of mankind, when salvation could be achieved only by humble endurance of sorrows with faith in God and hope for His mercy. Nobody today is capable of achieving salvation in any other way. There is only one way left for our time, which is bearing hardships. According to St. Isaak of Syria, “Much more precious before God are sorrows for Him and for His sake.” Each sorrow accepted without grumble, in the manner of the prudent thief, believing that it was a reward due to our deeds, will be designated as a sorrow for the sake of the Lord; and our personal cross will transform into the Cross of Christ by which our salvation comes. According to Apostle Paul, if we suffer with Christ, we may also be glorified with Him.
At the moments of grief and downheartedness, it is helpful to remember the advice of St. Isaak of Syria: “Always keep memory of those sorrowful and embittered who undergo much harder sufferings (those in prison or in exile, for example) so as to be able -in your situation – to offer due gratitude for your lesser and insignificant sorrows and happily overcome them.”
The sorrows that are borne joyfully and with gratitude to God, Who is saving us through our hardships, comprise a spiritual joy, witnessing to our spiritual growth.
The more efforts man undertakes and the harder he works to cleanse himself from the sins, to cleanse his thoughts and feelings and do away with sinful desires, even vague ones; and the more forcefully he induces himself to an incessant sincere and heartfelt prayer, the weaker and less burdensome his sorrows will become, and easier it will be for him to bear them. The point is that the purpose for which they are sent to us is served by our labor, by making ourselves observe the commandments and by a heartfelt regretting that we do not do it properly. This kind of heartfelt pains and self-inducement to doing good could serve the purpose of our salvation instead of other means and in place of other sorrows.
We must especially see to it that we are tenderhearted and kind in our attitude to those who are close to us, who are our neighbors. “Our salvation is in those near us,” said St. Pimen the Great. This means that who treats his neighbor correctly – in other words, who fulfills God’s commandment, saying: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” – will also be able to fulfill all other commandments, including the primary one – about love for God. One cannot love God and at the same time be ill-disposed to even one single person. This is understandable. Love and hostility cannot coexist in one soul – either one or the other, but not both. Love for the neighbor will bring forth love for God. The nature of both is mysterious and is far from what we know about the relations of the “old man.” Only experience acquired through the fulfilment of the commandments will reveal to us their depth in a measure corresponding to the level of the renewal of our soul.
Seek salvation, do not lose heart and do not complain, and do not offend anyone by sharp words. Pray and always try to have God in front of you.
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