How does God test a person? “Your meek Savior smells of apple and honey in the churches.”

Answers, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khokhly (Moscow):

- A person can ask the same question: “Why is this happening to me?” in completely different, diametrically opposed cases. It's one thing - some everyday, current troubles, annoyance at oneself, at the inability to cope with elementary things. The other is global, serious, existential issues, such as loneliness, the loss of a loved one.

That is, it is one thing when the heel broke, when a woman was in a hurry to meet her boss, in the end she was late and lost a great job. Then the question is also asked: “Why did this happen to me?” It is pointless and stupid to answer it, because ... it is pointless and stupid. But one cannot ignore serious questions, such as the question of Elena, who really wants to have a family, strives for marriage, has maintained her chastity, lives among good and kind people and who, in general, is not deprived of anything compared to others. But something doesn't stick. What is wrong with her and why? How should she accept this will of God in herself? Is this even the will of God?

Here another question arises - is there even the will of God for suffering, for loneliness, for something else that brings pain to a person? And this is a cardinal question.

I don't think it is God's will for people to suffer. It is not God's will for little children to die of terrible diseases. It is not the will of God that people remain lonely and suffer from this, because the Lord Himself said: "It's not good for a man to be alone» (Gen. 2:18)

It is not the will of God that people be disabled. It is not God's will for people to be unhappy, for people to be born into defective families. And for children to suffer because their parents do not love.

So it is impossible to raise the question "How to accept the will of God"? If this is how the question is put, then we should not be surprised when people from the outside ask us: “Why do you have such a strange faith?”.

If we admit that there is God's will for some negative, tragic phenomena, we must answer in this way: "Everything happens because it is God's will." And how blasphemous it will sound, that there is the will of God for the death of babies, for cancer, for the cruel murders of innocent people, for wars, for lies, for deceit, for betrayal, for treason, for crimes. Could this be the will of God?

Change the picture of the world...

Let us recall the gospel story about the healing of the blind man, about whom the disciples asked the Lord: “Rabbi! Who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered: "Neither he nor his parents sinned, but it was in order that the works of God might appear on him" (John 9:1-3).

The Lord comes to heal him. But the Lord does not come to heal one particular blind person and not to heal all the blind in the world. And in order to change the picture of the world. So that in general blindness, deafness, dumbness and everything else cease to be the law, the norm of this world.

The Lord takes upon Himself the sins of this world on the Cross, redeems this world with His own blood, resurrects and gives this world Eternal Life, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but only the great bliss of a person being in fullness, beauty, happiness and love .

People did not stop being born with illnesses after the Resurrection of Christ, they did not stop fighting and killing each other. But people can stop doing this if they finally become Christians. And in general, when people become Christians (for real, not nominally), life changes.

Maybe their outer shell does not change, people do not cease to be people with all the consequences of human life. But a person who is truly connected to God changes greatly. He ceases to be inwardly blind, deaf, dumb, because he comes to life. Although the physical life remains the same. Perhaps the hardships of this life are physically aggravated for Christians. But inwardly a Christian is renewed from day to day. As the apostle Paul says, if the old becomes old, then inwardly it is renewed.

No more questions

When a person found himself in a difficult situation, or when something extraordinary happened to him, and at the same time in his life he managed to feel the presence of God, to feel that God is with him, near, he no longer asks questions to God. He doesn't ask why this happened to him.

It so happened that in the last few years I have often had to communicate with children with advanced cancer. Many have already gone to God during this time.

I talk to them about the Kingdom of Heaven, about whether they feel the presence of God in their lives. And for me it is always some kind of miracle, a discovery, when I hear from these, still very small, but real Christians, that they feel this presence of God very brightly, very close. When they are able, for example, in situations where they have to endure terrible pain, fight and try not to show these pains to their parents. And the main thing is that these children (this will not be the discovery of the secret of personal confession) repent during confession that they do not have the strength to endure pain and that their parents, seeing their suffering, suffer themselves. I understand that they are very close to God.

Of course, situations are different. There are children who are 16-17 years old, they are in a very strong depression from what is happening. They can't take much to the end, but they try. They try, realizing that the hour of death is near. Their parents are trying too.

Recently, I say to one mother: “Be strong.” And she answers me with a smile: “What are you talking about, I accepted everything a long time ago.” And such a world is visible, peace in her soul from the fact that for her God is nearby. Despite the fact that she has a tragedy, the child, in his stage of illness, is simply terrible to look at by an outsider.

If a person is not a doctor, not a priest, not a parent, it is hard to be around for more than a few minutes, seeing such suffering of a little person.

Is this suffering the will of God?

Can this be accepted as the will of God?

Can you accept God into your life?

How to do it?

Don't know.

How do these people do it?

I can not say.

I don't have a method, a magic formula, a ready-made recipe.

It is very important if a person turns out to be capable in a situation of grief, misunderstanding of God, in a situation where life seems to him completely meaningless and useless to think: “How can I get to know God better, how can I accept God, how can I receive this Light from Him so that he , having enlightened me, removed this question from me. Because this issue cannot be resolved. There is no answer to it. And if you ask it constantly, there will still be no answer, but there will be a constant state of despondency, a heartbreaking state of unanswerability. But you can remove this question from your life.

The world we live in is all distorted, it's all like a minefield, like a battlefield. Where can you find something like this, some kind of oasis where you can sit quietly until the Last Judgment? There is no such place on earth.

And here Kierkegaard's words are very important for me that if a person treats God as a Force, as a Mind, as such a Miracle, on which he always orients himself, then a person somehow needs to try to understand God all the time: why is it so why is this happening. In order not to be mistaken before such a Powerful, Reasonable, Super-just and such a Right God. But if “God is Love” (1 John 4:16), then it is not at all scary not to understand Him. You just need to learn to feel this Love, to be able to get closer to this Love, so that it truly deeply touches the human heart. Because if it touches the heart, then, firstly, a person then begins to relate to the Gospel in a different way, to his religious life, to himself. And, of course, he begins to relate to God in a different way.

So a person needs to make up his mind and accept God in his heart.

folklore

The idea that God sends some kind of test to the one whom He loves more is such folklore, like ditties. Like the fact that there is no cross beyond our strength, God sends us only trials according to our strength.

Forgive me, the Gospel - is that within your power?!

How can we talk such nonsense that the cross is not unbearable?

Yes, the cross is always unbearable. There is no feasible cross.

But these words: “Whoever wants to follow Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34) – is it within your power?

Is it possible for a person to hear such words?

Can he do something himself without letting God into his life?

If yes, then perhaps there is some other “gospel” that everyone can do. There is such a “gospel” adapted in the minds of people, where Christianity and national ideas are about the same; where our folk traditions and in general the traditions of the ages and life in Christ are one and the same. Yes, if such a "gospel", then it is quite capable. The "gospel" of traditions, the "gospel" of statutes, the "gospel" of the imperial-powerful consciousness, the "gospel" of anything. Only Christ in His Gospel did not say anything about traditions or national ideas.

When everything is right

Often a person thinks: “I’m doing everything right, why does this happen to me in the end?”

But our life does not depend on what we do right or what we do wrong.

Yes, in the categories of Old Testament justice, such an establishment, so to speak, of the rules of the road, of course, works. If you go to the left, you will lose this; if you go to the right, you will lose that. Better go straight ahead. It's hard, but at least it's right. “See that you do as the Lord your God has commanded you; do not deviate either to the right or to the left; Walk in the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and be well with you, and live a long time in the land which you will receive as a possession” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33).

But what was so bad and wrong that the apostles did, that each of them was executed with terrible, terrible tortures, that throughout their entire apostolic life they were incessantly stoned, humiliated and imprisoned, persecuted? Why didn't they have a normal family life? Why didn't they have a good apartment, a dacha within easy reach of the center of Moscow, a good car, a job, a salary, a pension and respect from the population?

I repeat, what did they do wrong? Who will be able to answer this question, probably, will answer what he himself does right or wrong.

As for the main question that we are discussing: “Why does this happen in my life?” - I repeat, there is no answer to it.

There is only one possibility - to remove this issue from the agenda. It can be removed only when a person is very close to God.

Trials and hardships have both purpose and reward. Whoever endures them will receive the crown of life promised by God. Published on imbf.org web portal

One of the hardest parts of the Christian life is the fact that as followers of Christ, we are not immune from trials and tribulations. Why does a kind and loving Lord allow us to go through trials such as the death of a child, sickness or injury to ourselves or our loved ones, financial hardship, worry, and fear? After all, if He loves us, then He must protect us from all this. After all, doesn't love mean for Him to make our lives as easy and comfortable as possible? Actually, no. The Bible clearly teaches that God loves those who are His children and He “turns everything for good” for them ( Romans 8:28; hereinafter - a modern translation of the Russian Bible Society). So it must mean that the trials and tribulations He allows in our lives are part of that promise—that everything will be turned to good. Thus, the believer must see a divine purpose in all trials and tribulations.

As with everything else, God's ultimate goal for us is that we become more and more like His Son ( Romans 8:29). This is the goal of every Christian, and everything in life, including trials and tribulations, is designed to help us achieve this goal. This is part of the process of sanctification, separation for God's purposes, and preparation for a life in His glory. How trials help in this is explained in 1 Peter 1:6-7: “So rejoice in this, even if now you have to, for a very short time, grieve from various trials. For even gold is tried by fire, though fire may destroy it, and your faith is more precious than gold, and its truth must be tested and proved in order to receive praise, glory, and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ will reveal himself.” The faith of the true believer will be confirmed by tests to be sure that it is real.

Trials develop godly character, and this allows us to say with Paul: “We are also proud of suffering, because we know that from suffering comes endurance, from endurance comes firmness, from firmness comes hope. And hope will not fail, because God pours out His love into our hearts - through the Holy Spirit given to us" ( Romans 5:3-5). Jesus Christ gave us a wonderful example. “But God showed us all the power of His love for us, because even when we were sinners, Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8). These verses reveal aspects of His higher purpose regarding the trials and tribulations of both Jesus Christ and ourselves. Fortitude strengthens our faith. “I can do everything thanks to the One who gives me strength” ( Philippians 4:13).

At the same time, we should not look for excuses for the difficulties we experience as a result of our mistakes. “If one of you suffers, let it not be because he is a murderer, or a thief, or a criminal, or an informer” ( 1 Peter 4:15). God will forgive our sins because the eternal penalty for them was paid by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. However, we still have to suffer the natural consequences of our sins and bad choices in this life.

How to carry the cross of loneliness?

But God uses even this suffering to prepare us for His purposes and our good.

Trials and hardships have both purpose and reward. “My brothers, when various trials fall to your lot, consider it a great joy. For you know that the trials that your faith is subjected to make you resilient. And steadfastness should lead to the achievement of the goal, to the fact that you become mature and perfect and that you do not have any shortcomings ... Happy is the person who steadfastly endures trials, because, having endured them, he will receive the crown of life promised by God to those who loves him" ( James 1:2-4, 12).

Through all the trials of life, we are approaching victory. "But thanks be to God, He has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" ( 1 Corinthians 15:57). Although we are in spiritual warfare, Satan has no power over the believer in Christ. God has given us His Word to guide us, His Holy Spirit to give us strength and the privilege of turning to Him anywhere, anytime, and praying for anything that worries us. He also guaranteed us that “He will not allow trials that would be beyond your strength, and besides, in every trial He will give both a way out of it and the strength to overcome it” ( 1 Corinthians 10:13).

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Whom God loves..

“Whom God loves, he sends a test, and whom he wants to teach a lesson, he slips a freebie.”

“Your meek Savior smells of apple and honey in the churches.”

My good friend Sergei, a singer and toastmaster, I was brought together by a passion for the garden, once told me about his village grandmother, who raised him. He grew up without a father and mother, in the Spartan rural setting of the Ivanovo hinterland. They lived in an old log cabin.

Grandmother was devout in the best possible way. She found spiritual support in faith. Faith helped her endure the hardships that life sent in abundance. There was almost no furniture in the house, there were exactly as many dishes as they needed for two. The clothes are all worn and darned. But there were books, there was an antediluvian but serviceable radio, there was a large mirror. And a small iconostasis, with blackened icons and a lamp. Grandma was hardworking, patient, and wise. She taught him, it seems, the simplest things: weed the garden, pick mushrooms, feed chickens, teach lessons.

— My childhood was difficult. Sergei said. There was no man in the family who could be relied upon and who could teach what only a man can teach. Everyone had fathers, but I didn't. All the kids rode bikes, but I didn't. When the village children went to the river on bicycles, I ran after them on foot.

Cried in the evening

“Grandma, why don’t I have a bike!?” Everyone has it, but I don't! But why!!

- Seryozha! Nothing, nothing. Don't envy them! You be patient! It's not your fault you don't have a bike. But don't be offended by the guys. Ask them and they'll give you a ride! Just ask nicely, kindly. The time will come and you will have everything you want. You just study well and work conscientiously - you will have everything!

“Whoever he idolizes, he sends a test to him.”

Isn't it true that in this simple thought there is great wisdom and an abyss of meanings?

How did this simple village woman know this maxim worthy of the wisest philosophers. From what such depths did she get this gentle worldly wisdom:

- "Whoever he idolizes-he sends a test." And how many tests fell on her herself in order to come to this greatest of wisdom!

There in the Ivanovo forests lies the center of Russia. Our primordial Russianness lives here and now. In these simple peasant women, in their flattering speech, in their patience, their absence of envy. It is no coincidence that there was no fratricidal strife of civil war, terror, robberies and pogroms here. There was no Walking Field, no Makhno, no carts, no dashing cavalry attacks.

The places there are incredibly beautiful. But they always lived there not richly, although in different ways. On the other hand, there was never a famine - the forest saved with mushrooms and berries, fish from the river. And the villagers had neither envy nor hatred towards each other. They loved their forests, and their skinny non-chernozem land, from which, no matter how hard you try, you can’t get more than 10 centners of rye per hectare.

Recently, after a long break, Sergei visited his homeland. The village has changed little. Its main decoration is the same temple, which even during the years of persecution, the villagers did not allow to be demolished. The nature there is still very beautiful, and people still live in poverty.

- “Whom he loves,” he sends a test to him.

Life is your test.

"- Do you know how to distinguish a fool from a smart one!?

- How??

- No way! A fool can look even smarter!

“But how then to understand where who is!?”

“But only on business, brother!” Only on business!

From the thoughts of A. Saryev.

We are not the first on earth - this is understandable. But not the last ones either. So we need to think about what will be left after us. And the greatest legacy that we can leave is not riches, but moral purity, contained in the rules by which we live. Including this simple wisdom, which gives strength when they are no longer there at all - "Whoever he loves - he sends a test to him."

Our life itself is an ordeal. Every day, every hour, every minute tests us for humanity. Every morning sends a test. And to whom life is easy, he dies first - from fat.

Life is hard, but you can overcome everything with such a simple truth on the banner:

- "Whoever he idolizes-he sends a test."

When I wake up in the morning and I am completely shackled by lack of will, this thought lifts me up and makes me change the course of my thoughts. It especially warms me that this innermost thought was conveyed to me not by the cunning Nietzsche, not by Tolstoy and not by Dostoevsky, but by a simple Russian village woman, taught by suffering, from which she derived consolation for herself:

Whom he adores, he sends a test.

And then in the course of work, when I come across a difficulty, I constantly return to it.

Or here's another case.

All summer I live outside the city, only occasionally - about once a week, driving home. Bicycle vehicle. And so I work somehow, work, and already in the morning I think to myself - in the evening I will rush home. It's time, I'm bored!

The case moves towards evening. The conventional hour is approaching, I look at the sky - everything is fine, the sky is without a cloud, only in the east, where I need it - a little dark. But you never know, not a rain all day - it cannot be that everything went according to the law of meanness. I pack the vehicle, lock the house and the gate. I jump on my steed and pedal eastward. The whole sky is blue, but where I'm going, some kind of incomprehensible haze looms.

I don't have time to drive off half a kilometer, as the wind picks up. He is getting stronger and stronger. And I have to go more than eight kilometers. The first drops of rain fall on your face. Here are those times! After all, my journey is just the beginning! Why not turn back, because the whole east is already covered in solid blackness, and it seems that I am going towards a downpour. - God! Understand what to do! I stop on the side of the road and think: the rain is intensifying, and I am not soaked only thanks to the trees, under the crowns of which I have been riding until now. But soon the forest will end, and what then! In addition, ahead is not a simple rain, but a thunderstorm! And this is also a lightning that can hit me! Lord, what should I do!

But I really want to go home! I want to see my wife, whom I have not seen for a week, to ask how our affairs are going. I can't turn back! Maybe I'll skip, I decide, and lean on the pedals with all my strength.

And almost immediately I enter a strip of such a downpour, for which the most suitable characteristic is “it pours like a bucket”. In such a downpour, even motorists prefer to stop on the side of the road and wait. But they are under the roof, it is warm and dry there, there is music. And I have the opposite, and instead of music, thunder and lightning. Thank God the lightning is still striking a little to the side. But the road has already turned into a continuous stream of water. Occasionally you have to drive into such puddles that the sneakers are completely in the water.

BUT! Come what may! I decide. "I'm already soaked to the skin!" I won't get wetter, only dirtier! But there's a bath waiting for me at home. Forward! God! I only trust in you! Strengthen your spirit! Let me overcome this challenge! And I stop whining and lean on the pedals.

So I'm on the highway. Driving on asphalt is much easier, but other dangers await me here. Although I am driving along the side of the road, they may not notice me in such a downpour and knock me down like a stray dog. In addition to fear for my life, the cars rushing nearby now and then douse me with mud.

I pedal stubbornly, and I note with satisfaction that I have already passed about halfway. The panic inside me subsided and I am completely absorbed in the work. The storm does not stop, so I can see and go to the end, - I think. And then, after another thunderclap, a saving thought flashed through my mind:

“But this is a test sent down by God. He is testing me! So he loves me! And what kind of test is this, a trifle and nothing more! Not an execution, not an execution, not a serious illness! He only reminds you once again so that you do not forget:

Whom God loves, he sends a trial.

I press the pedals even harder, and I notice that the downpour has begun to weaken. Since I am riding into the wind, the changes are happening rapidly. The downpour ends as if on cue, and after some three hundred meters after that I drive into a strip of dry asphalt. The sun is shining again in the sky. Although it is not high in the evening, it becomes much warmer, I am back in summer! The soul rejoices, less than a third of the way to the house remains, and this is no longer heavy torment, but a pleasant walk!

When I drive into the sunlit city, I notice that passers-by see me off with surprised looks, they say: - Where did he manage to get so wet when there was not a cloud in the sky!? But I do not notice anything, because an inaudible dialogue continues inside me:

Whom God loves, he sends a trial.

“And who did he send the test to!?”

So who does God love?

- He loves you!

Prayer before starting hard work.

God!

Archpriest Alexy Uminsky: “For what is loneliness sent”?

Inspire! Oh my God! Bless me, weak in mind and frail in body, difficult to accomplish!

Let my strength be insignificant, but by Your name they will multiply! My spirit will rise, my will will be strengthened by Faith, my strength will increase tenfold. For I will know - behind my back You, O Lord! Your encouraging gaze, the word of Your blessing!

Loneliness: Curse or Blessing?

About loneliness

A friend suffers from loneliness. I pray for her that the Lord send her a married marriage. Is there a special prayer rule for this?

Here it is necessary to have a personal prayer. If there is any specific need, it is impossible to “get rid of” only by morning and evening prayers. In addition to the daily rule, one must be able to talk with God. Suppose a friend came to you; if you trust her and she is close to you, you will tell all the problems. Even share your secrets: about illnesses, about work, and about relatives. The Lord should be closest to us. The Lord is constantly waiting for our appeal to Him, ready to come to the rescue and heal our spiritual illnesses. With Him, we must share our sorrows, tell about our needs, sorrows, worries, before we do with a friend. We must accustom ourselves to constantly turn to Him, to speak with Him. You can even talk with your neighbor, and with your consciousness stand before God, listening to what He will send us through our neighbor.

Holy people do not say much to God. They are so able to live, to stand before God in such a way that this replaces many tearful, kneeling prayers of others.

The points. Why are people punished by loneliness?

They stand before Him with a pure heart, listening to what He sends them, and humbly accepting everything. For this humility, the Lord cares and protects them, as the true Heavenly Father, grants them grace. They stand before Him in grace and feel completely safe from adversity. This state is the wordless prayer of holy people. It is given for the purity of the heart given to God. Remember: "Child, give Me your heart." These people were so submissive to God that they completely forgot themselves.

We all need to learn to pray with words and thoughts, with all our souls. Because the heart is the throne from which the soul must offer its prayers to God.

When we pray, the soul sends its petitions to the Lord, and the Lord gives an answer. The soul, tuned in to such a conversation, feels the answer. She definitely feels that the Lord has heard and taken her worries upon Himself. We must end our prayers like this: "... Lord, not like me, but like You, Thy will be done," completely committing our petition to His will. He knows better than we do whether what we ask will be useful for the work of our salvation.

For example, they found a husband. Let him be Orthodox, but in spirit he may not be suitable. Torment, sins will begin. And if you turn to God, the Lord will send someone who will become a real companion both in this life and in the other world.

The Apostle Paul says: "It is good for a man to remain so (alone). However, even if you marry, you will not sin. But such will have sorrows according to the flesh; but I pity you" (1 Cor. 7:26-28).

What is the meaning of the life of a single woman? How to treat loneliness - as a punishment, destiny, or test?

Now it has become fashionable for single women to "have" children. The purpose of a single woman's life is not to have children without a husband. If it so happened that she is alone, then this time should be used for repentance, for salvation. Let him live a pure, pious life, do good deeds, be merciful, help his neighbors, and pray. After all, praying is also work, and a great work. And she will be the bride of Christ, pleasing to God.

Be of good cheer, and may your heart be strengthened, all who trust in the Lord!
Ps. 30:25

In our time, all conditions are created so that a person does not need anything, the image of “successful and happy” is cultivated, without problems, both in personal and in public life. But sometimes, sorrows, worries and troubles overtake us, and we begin to grumble and complain about God. In the material world, it is not customary to consider sorrows as a normal phenomenon, people try to get rid of them as soon as possible, and most importantly, to forget them as soon as possible. But the spiritual world, which is not visible behind the carnal shell of a person, defines sorrows as an indispensable condition for a person's spiritual growth. So are afflictions a punishment from God, or are they of a deeper nature than we are used to thinking?

Conditionally, grief can be divided into three categories.

1. Sorrows and suffering as the consequences of sin and stupidity

The man left the casino, where he lost everything, and shot himself. Question: Did God send him to play there or who? As Anthony the Great wrote: “If we try to live according to the commandments of the Gospel, then we unite with the Spirit of God, and it happens to us well, but if we turn away from God, do not reckon with the commandments of God, then we unite with demons-tormentors, and then trouble for man. As we see, one should not blame God for all sorrows.

We all know that by committing sin, we deliberately violate God's commandments, depart from God, and thereby cause irreparable harm to ourselves. Time will pass, someone realizes, someone does not, what he did, but the harm that we caused ourselves when committing sin will remain with us until the end of days. Through sincere repentance, the Lord forgives a person, but what happened to a person at the moment of committing a sin and after, can remain with him as a reminder of apostasy from God. " He who suffers in the flesh ceases to sin"- writes app. Peter (1 Peter 4:1).

As you can see, everything depends on us: whether we unite with the Spirit of God or with tormenting demons. The Lord does not punish anyone, but we punish ourselves when we depart from the Lord.

2. Tests sent by the Lord for teaching or edification

God, as a loving Father, allows us such "sorrows" for educational purposes - for admonition and instruction. The Lord does not want to destroy us, to discourage us (this is a sin), to cause offense or anger, but only to help us be saved! In his sermon, Patriarch Kirill points out that “the Lord, as a wise and loving parent, does not spoil his children. He leads them through sorrows, because in sorrows we grow, under the weight of responsibility we grow, in overcoming difficulties our character is honed, thoughts are born that can support us and others. Without these hardships, there is no spiritual growth and no salvation.”

“And when sorrow comes and prayer does not give relief, then do not lose heart, do not grumble and do not give in to unbelief; but remember that without sorrows one cannot be saved, one cannot even gain worldly experience (Hegumen Nikon Vorobyov).

And therefore, as the recluse Georgy Zadonsky wrote: “God will not humiliate a contrite and humble heart: sorrows that are found are God’s allowance; and when those who grieve with all their souls turn to the Lord, at that very hour the Lord will indescribably comfort them with His bounties and give a good thought to those who listen to Him, what when it is necessary to do to please Him.

As you can see, sometimes trials come into our lives by the grace of God. They come, as if an invisible hand adds another step to the ladder of our ascent to Heaven, which is troublesome to climb, but from which one can see far, and most importantly, closer to God. Of course, no creaturely forces can interfere with this secret educational process. As Isaac the Syrian teaches: "no creature can touch a person without the will of God." Professor MDA Osipov A.I. adds: “And the will of God is done in full accordance with what a person wants, what he aspires to and how he lives.”

3. Sorrow and suffering for the faith of Christ

« And as with many sorrows it is fitting for us to enter the kingdom of God» (Acts 14:22). Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria explains that “it is not every kind of tightness or sorrow that leads into the kingdom of heaven, but sorrow because of faith in God.” That person who is ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of Christ, to endure any sorrows and hardships, receives a martyr's crown.

Saint John Chrysostom wrote: “It is more valiant for me to endure evil for Christ than to receive honor from him. This is a great honor, this is glory, above which there is nothing.”

It should be understood that sorrows and sufferings for the faith of Christ are the lot of the elect, they are sent to those who have already gone a long way of spiritual development and are ready to endure them with dignity.

So how can we adequately accept sorrows, where can we get the strength to endure them and be saved?

Without patience and putting our life into the hands of God, we will not achieve anything. By patience we save our souls. Professor MDA Osipov A.I. indicates that there are 4 stages of patience: “The first stage: just endure. Trouble, illness, grief happened - just endure (do not grumble, do not blame anyone). The second step: to recognize that what is worthy of my deeds is happening to me, and not because someone wants me to do bad things (to blame only myself). The third step: I not only realize that this is worthy in my deeds, but I also thank you, Lord, that you give me the opportunity for these deeds to suffer at least a little (thank God for his participation in our salvation). Fourth step: a person rejoices and thanks God for these sufferings (to feel the fullness of God's love and all his wisdom). We see this in the history of many martyrs: when they were glad to suffer with Christ.”

Thaddeus Vitovnitsky, a Serbian elder, said at the end of his life: “All the holy fathers who lived a good, quiet life, all said that the perfection of the Christian life is in complete humility. So, patience is the most necessary thing in life. Endure everything and forgive everything!

So is it true that God gives as much as you can bear?

It is better to answer this question with a well-known parable so that a person can decide for himself whether God gives him as much as he can bear or not?

One day, a man began to grumble at fate. He could not endure those sorrows and sufferings that were in his life. “How hard it is for me to carry this cross. Why, Lord? - the man did not let up. Suddenly the Lord appears and offers: “Come with me. You will choose the cross according to your strength." The man gladly followed him. Here they go into a room full of different crosses - large and medium; iron and wood. And suddenly a person sees a small wooden cross in the far corner. He runs up to him, takes him in his hands and presses him with reverence to his chest, then turns to the Lord and says: “I want this one!”. “Take it, says the Lord, this one was yours!”

Holy Fathers on the Patience of Sorrows

Endure sorrows, because in them, like roses in thorns, virtues are born and ripen.

Rev. Nile of Sinai

“Nothing can serve as such evidence of perfect rationality as long-suffering.”

St. John Chrysostom

“He who can joyfully endure an offense, even having the means to repel it, has received consolation from God through faith in Him.”

Rev. Isaac Sirin

“Bear patiently the blows, for God’s providence wants to purify you with such.”

Abba Falassius

“Patience in life is a gift of God, and is given to those who seek and even through the strength of straining to hold on to embarrassment, turmoil, malfunctions.”

Rev. Theodore Studite

"Be patient with the Lord in the day of trouble, that he may cover you in the day of wrath."

Rev. Ephraim Sirin

“Do not think that sorrows are brought to you by others; no, they come from within you; and people are only instruments with which God works in the matter of our salvation, to our purification.

Venerable Macarius of Optina

“The Heavenly Father is omnipotent, all-seeing: He sees your sorrows, and if he found that it was necessary and useful to turn the Chalice away from you, he would certainly do it.”

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov.

We all face difficulties in this life sooner or later. Sometimes we encounter problems so serious that they can be called real trials. And here, for many of us, a completely logical question arises: “Why does God send me such trials?”. I do not, and do not wish anyone anything bad. I try to live right. I go (perhaps) to the temple, I pray. After all, God could easily deliver me from difficult trials! Others steal, for example, but they don't have the same problems as me, why?

In order to unequivocally answer all these questions, it is necessary to restore and correctly understand certain knowledge about this universe.

According to all major religious schools, a living being is an intangible substance that has consciousness (its own "I"), and the physical body is at its disposal.

According to major religions, there is a material world that has a molecular (atomic) structure. Also, there is a world - transcendental (spiritual), which has a more complex (subtle) structure. Beings living in the spiritual world have a body of transcendent (spiritual) nature, have a more complex structure, and much more possibilities than a body of molecular structure. In addition, the fundamental difference between these two worlds lies in the fact that living beings living in transcendental (spiritual) universes live according to certain laws. However, the main ones are well known to us: these are “do not kill”, “do not steal”, etc.

A person who achieves a certain state of his consciousness with the help of spiritual practices, after the death of his physical body, transmigrates into one of the spiritual universes. There he is reborn in a new transcendental (spiritual) body. If a person lives an ordinary life and does not pay due attention to spiritual practice, then he is reborn in a new physical body. Confirmed cases of memories of their past lives (with VIDEO) are presented in the article (

According to ancient Vedic knowledge, there is a process of reincarnation.

“It never happened that I did not exist, or you, or all these kings; and it will never be that one of us ceases to exist. ("). ( Link opens in a new window).

“Exactly the same as the soul moves from a child's body to a youthful one and from it to an old one, so at death it passes into another body. These changes do not trouble one who has realized his spiritual nature.").

“Know that what pervades the whole body is indestructible. No one can destroy an immortal soul.

“The soul is neither born nor dies. It did not arise once in the past and will never cease to exist. She is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, immortal and primordial. It is not destroyed when the body dies." ).

From other sources of Vedic literature about the soul it is written:

“If the tip of the hair is divided into one hundred parts, and then each of them is divided into another hundred, the size of one such part will be equal to the size of the eternal soul.”

"Spiritual particles are innumerable, and the size of each of them is one ten thousandth of the tip of a hair."

However, the knowledge of reincarnation has long been known in other cultures. Here is an excerpt from the official publication Bibles:

New Testament, Gospel of John, Chapter 9:

1. And as he passed, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him: Rabbi! who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind? (John 9:1-3).

A natural question arises: when could he have sinned before he was born blind? The answer is unequivocal: only in his past life.

Another episode: 3. Jesus Christ says: (Matthew ch. 11 v. 14)"And if you want to receive, he is Elijah, who must come."

1. His disciples ask Him: “How can the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus said to them in response: “True, Elijah must come first and arrange everything, but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wished.” Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:10-13).

The knowledge about the transmigration of the soul into other material bodies was removed from many scriptures. For this, the organization "Correction" was created by Emperor Constantine, which changed all the Gospels. As a result, all texts in Aramaic are declared heretical and destroyed! But, the excerpts above were unnoticed.

These excerpts prove that the knowledge of the reincarnation (transmigration) of the soul has been known for a long time. A natural question arises:

Why was the full knowledge of the reincarnation of the soul hidden?

The fact is that the knowledge that with the death of the physical body, the life of the living being itself continues, makes a person to a certain extent - FEARLESS! He is well aware of the fact that he is an immaterial and eternal unit of consciousness! It only changes material (molecular) bodies, in accordance with a certain law.

But fearless people are not needed by rulers and those in power. Under the fear of death (allegedly the only one), a person can be intimidated, and forced to obey, control him - like an animal, with his "animal" unreasonable fear - ignorance!

Very often, when we receive a new challenge, we think we don't deserve it. But, recent studies of the features of the brain give a clear definition of the fact that the state of our consciousness, along with sensations, depends on what actions we perform! That is, in many cases, we ourselves punish ourselves, not understanding this dependence. More details about this are written in the article.

By what principle does the soul move into a new body?

According to the Vedas, the soul moves to the next material or spiritual body, according to the image (picture) of human consciousness - at the moment of separation of the soul from the physical body (that is, at the moment of death).

Thanks to certain spiritual practices, a person can focus his consciousness on certain spiritual forms even at the moment of death of the physical body. This will enable him to be reborn in a spiritual body in one of the transcendental universes. All the main types of spiritual practices are generally described in. ( Link opens in a new window).

The Bhagavad - the Gita as it is" (with comments) - describes the whole essence of spiritual wisdom, and the principle of advancing along the path of spiritual development, regardless (what is important!) Of the type of religious direction.

Thus, if during our life we ​​are little (or not at all) interested in spiritual knowledge, then at the dying moment, only material objects, people, etc. will be present in our consciousness. Accordingly, the living being (soul) will again be forced to be reborn into material world in a fertilized egg. More, with scientific research about it in the article: Link opens in a new window).

Why are we now in the material world (in one of the material universes).

According to its development in the understanding of the surrounding world, the human soul can incarnate on the higher ("heavenly") planetary systems, or on the lower ("hellish"). In holy scripture Srimad Bhagavatam detailed information about the structure of our universe. It is described where the planets of "hell" are located, where the planets of the "heavenly" (highly developed) civilization are located. The description of plants, environment and features of life on these planetary systems is given. (More details about this information are given in the site article: - the page opens in a new - additional "WINDOW").

In the main religions of the world, the following important definition of the quality of the soul is given: - the nature (structure, structure) of the human soul, exactly the same as the nature of the Supreme Divine Personality. This is usually expressed by the phrase: "God's spark." Only the human soul is immeasurably smaller than the Supreme Divine Personality. But the quality (nature) is the same.

The soul embodied in a human body has a certain degree of freedom of choice (action). Otherwise, man would not be a man, but would be a plant. AT

At a certain moment, the soul (that is, a living being) wanted to control and own material objects and forms. Having this right, for contact with material objects, the soul incarnates in a material body. But, the laws of the universe are such that after the material (molecular) body for some reason became unusable (died a natural death or was killed), the soul, incarnating in a new material body, loses information about its past lives, including about life in the spiritual world! Exceptional cases when a person remembers his past lives are presented in the article.

And, if in a new material body, the soul was born in a society where spiritual knowledge is practically absent, then it has little chance after the death of this material body to be freed from material conditioning.

We can observe a well-known analogy in people who are addicted to a computer game. A person takes a certain virtual form (conditioned). Then he conducts "his" game according to the established rules of the computer game. He does this of his own free will. And it can be very difficult to return him to the real (material) world! Most people living in the material world generally believe that only this (material) world is real. For gamers, it's the same. They are no longer interested in another world (except for the virtual world of a computer game).

Life in the material universes in a material body is more exciting than such a “creation” of people as computer games. Therefore, the material conditionality (dependence) of a living being on the interests of this world is very strong. The living being (soul) is prone to exploration and new sensations. Thus, a living being falls into a new dependence on the objects of the material world.

Our life today is the result of our own choice in the distant past. The reason for this was the moment when the living being decided to "participate" in the play of the material world. But, as a result, this very exciting game made us forget about the true state of things in the universe. For liberation from the conditioned state of matter, in addition to desire itself, we need certain knowledge and actions, expressed in spiritual practice. A general overview of various spiritual practices is described in an ancient scripture.

Now that we have restored (recalled) the true order of things, we can objectively try to answer the question: “Why does God give or send trials to a person?”

Any problem or test on our life path makes us think about the following question: - “What needs to be done in order not to expose yourself to new trials in the future?”.

The more difficult these trials, the more persistent and resolutely a reasonable person begins to look for an effective, radical solution in order not to expose himself to new trials in the future.

A reasonable person begins to understand that life's trials in the form of illness, old age, death of loved ones, etc., are only a matter of time. Therefore, he begins to search for solutions to all problems, getting the maximum information about life - in general.

Considering our life in a broader sense, one can understand that any difficult test (perhaps that God sends or gives us) stimulates any reasonable person to acquire new knowledge that will help him get rid of meeting new trials in the future. And the harder the trials, the greater the incentive for spiritual self-knowledge.

In the material world, matter-conditioned spirit particles are mainly prone to acquiring and possessing material objects. According to the law of conservation of energy (the material world): - "if in one place - arrived, then in another place - departed." In the modern world, with the development of weapons and money (the equivalent of material values), man has learned to redistribute material values ​​- more sophisticated, immoral, and on a much larger scale. Apart from the lack of wealth elsewhere, this leads to other later problems and trials. The peak of such tests are wars with numerous victims.

In an insatiable impulse to acquire material values, some people produce food products (with additives that reduce the cost of these products) that bring them big profits. And those - who use these products, begin to get seriously ill over time.

Other people, in order to enrich themselves and their loved ones, organize the “treatment” of sick people with medicines that remove the symptoms of the disease, but do not eliminate the cause of the disease itself. Thus, a sick person works for a monopolized pharmaceutical industry until the end of his life. These are the results of existence in the material world.

Purpose of material existence- the acquisition of material objects.

The result of material existence- are severe trials in the form of wars, diseases and human suffering.

This is a causal relationship, is the principle of the existence of the material world.

If God sends and gives people trials, then only for the sole purpose: so that a person, as far as possible, leaves material activity, and with the help of acquired knowledge and appropriate spiritual practice, after the death of the physical body, can receive a new one - spiritual (transcendental) body in one of the spiritual universes.

There are no diseases and wars in the spiritual worlds, since there are no causes that give rise to them. There is no death. These worlds (universes) do not collapse with time. A more complete description of the transcendental worlds is presented in and "Srimad = Bhagavatam".

If a person tries to lead a correct way of life, not to humiliate others, not to offend, not to condemn, etc., but, nevertheless, does not achieve perfection in the practice of spiritual self-realization, then after the death of his physical body, he is reborn on the planets material world with a highly developed civilization. Or, on the same planet, but in much better conditions (in the families of spiritually developed people, or in families with high material wealth).

Tests also fall on bad people. For every immoral or criminal act, a person begins to experience the results already during his lifetime. This is expressed in a change in his consciousness, a negative change in the functioning of the brain, followed by problems with physical health. Such a conclusion can be drawn if you familiarize yourself with the scientific research of scientists from Russia and the UK in the article: (LISTEN or READ).

— research, statements. quotes from famous scientists about God. Documentary film "HUMAN DEVOLUTION".

They say: "God gives a person as many trials as he can endure." Is it fair? Continuous trials give the impression of punishment. For what? Natalia.

Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:

Hello, Natalia!

In the phrase that confused you, it is said that no one is tested beyond his strength, that no one is given an unbearable cross. I would compare the test with the necessary training. After all, the main goal of earthly life is to prepare for eternal life. And for this we sometimes have to work hard on ourselves in order to develop the good properties of the soul and prevent the evil ones from developing. Life with its trials can be compared to training, when an athlete, preparing for a competition, trains, improves his results. Here is how the Apostle Paul wrote about life’s sorrows: “But we also boast of sorrows, knowing that patience comes from sorrow, experience comes from patience, hope comes from experience, and hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” . And one more very important aspect. The word you used "punishment" is correct in the sense that it comes from the word "mandate", that is, a lesson. Thus, all life can be considered a lesson that we must learn in order to pass our main exam - to give a worthy answer to the Lord about our life at the Last Judgment. “You need patience so that, having done the will of God, you will receive the promise”(Heb. 10:36), that is, eternal life and eternal blessedness.

Sincerely, Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko.