Болезни

And when you are sick, say: “Blessed is he who has been found worthy to be tested by God in that for which he will inherit life.” For God sends illnesses for the health of the soul. One of the saints said: “I noticed that a monk who does not work pleasingly to the Lord and does not strive zealously for the salvation of his soul, but carelessly learns virtues, is certainly allowed by God to fall into temptation, so that he does not remain idle and from his much idleness he does not deviate into the worse.” Therefore, God plunges the lazy and careless into temptations, so that they think about temptations and not about vain things. God always does this to those who love Him, in order to enlighten, make wise and teach them His will. And when they beg Him, He will not quickly heed them, until they are exhausted and until they firmly understand that this happened to them because of their negligence and laziness. For it is written: “Whenever you stretch out your hands to Me, I will turn My eyes away from you; and even if you increase your prayer, I will not hear you” (Isa. 1:15). And although this is said about others, in any case it is written in general about those who have abandoned the path of the Lord. But since we say that God is abundantly merciful, then why, when we constantly ask en masse and in temptations, we are not heard, but He despises our petition. This, of course, is what the Prophet teaches us, saying: The hand of the Lord is not small to show mercy, and the Lord is not hard of hearing to hear. But our sins separated us from Him, and our iniquities turned away His face so as not to hear (Isa. 59:1-2). Remember God at all times, and He will remember you when you fall into trouble.