Transcription
What would you do if you learned that an illness could hide a blessing that you are currently unable to see? Most of us, when tested by an illness, ask God for only one thing: to get well. But is this always the greatest blessing? Saint Paisios [music] gives a summarizing answer. He teaches that God sees much further than us. We see the pain of the moment. [music] He sees the entire journey of the soul and eternity. And here the great reversal begins. The Saint recounts the story of a man [music] who incessantly begged Saint Panteleimon to heal him. The healing finally came. However, when he later found himself in the afterlife, he understood that because of his healing, he had lost great spiritual fruits that he would have gained if he had endured [music] his illness with faith. How differently God sees things than we do. So, perhaps some answers to our prayers come differently than we expect? The Saint, however, does not say to neglect our health. On the contrary, he advises to first turn to God with prayer and then to trust the doctor, asking the Lord [music] to enlighten him so that he makes the right decisions. Faith does not replace medicine. It accompanies it. And if the pain becomes so strong that you cannot [music] even pray, Saint Paisios comforts with a word full of hope. He says that even if you cannot make prostrations or great prayers, it is enough to say with all your heart, "Glory to You, O God." Sometimes this simple phrase is the most powerful prayer. And you know why? Because the prayer that is born within pain has effort, it has sacrifice, and it has [music] struggle. Therefore, as the Saint teaches, it is especially precious before God. The person who endures with faith [music] is not alone. God is by his side. But there is also another secret that the Saint revealed. He remembered a monk who suffered from terrible pains. Instead of complaining, he incessantly chanted praises to God. The chanting did not make the [music] illness disappear, but it filled his soul with strength and peace. Saint Paisios himself used to say that when he was in pain, [music] he often chanted with all his might, because he felt that chanting became a real medicine for the soul. Perhaps this is the greatest lesson. We cannot always choose the trials that will come into our lives. But we can choose the way we will face them. With groaning or with trust. With despair or with hope. Saint Paisios calls us to trust God even when we do not understand His plan. To pray, to ask for His help, to utilize [music] medical science with discernment, and never to lose hope. Because where man sees [music] only pain, God may be preparing the greatest blessing. Yeah.