St. Paisios the Athonite

 - Geronda, why are people suffering so much today?

- Because of the love of God! You as a nun, you get up every morning, you follow your canon, do the prayer rope and do prostrations etc. For those who live in the world the difficulties they go through are their canon, so they are purified by them. The difficulties offer bigger benefit than the worldly comfortable life, which does not help them either to approach God, or to save heavenly salary. That's why suffering must be accepted as a present from God.

The virtuous God with trials reproves like a good father his children, out of love, out of Godly kindness, and not out of malice, or worldly, legal justice because He wants them (his children) to return near Him. That is, because He wants to save His creature and bequeath them His kingdom, allows trials in order to make man fight, struggle and pass tests in patience and pain, so the devil may not say to Him: "Why do You repay him or why do You save him, since he did not labor?" God is not interested in this life but in the next. First He takes care of the next life and then for the present.

St. Paisios the Athonite, Hardships, Illnesses, Disability