Grief is coming
(Extract from a morning sermon)
There are people, who, when they are healthy and their wallets are full, their children are progressing and everything is pleasant, they praise God. But, when sorrow comes, they lose their temper, they grouch and blaspheme and curse the day they were born; there are also others who get disappointed to such extent, that they give an end to their lives commiting suicide.
Oh people who are in sorrow in this world! In order to confront successfully sorrows, you must arm yourselves with patience. In order to obtain patience, you have to open up the Holy Bible and read what is says about sorrows, what is the purpose of sorrows, and read the wonderful examples of patience.
In the Holy Bible, we can see heroes of patience. Such an example of patience, is the paralyzed person of the Gospel (John. 5, 1-15). He is a hero. A hero superior than those who claim victories in the field of battle, with bravery medals.
Take a look upon the life of this hero. He lived in an ocean of grief. Not for days, neither for weeks, nor for a few years but for 38 whole years he was sick and totally paralyzed. And was it just that? He had no one beside him. He had no person to care for him. And yet, he did not grouch, he did not blaspheme, he did not curse the day he was born, but he showed patience, which reminds of Job’s patience, and lived the days of sorrow believing that God will never abandon him and will eventually show His mercy upon him. And God did show his mercy. He came Himself, Jesus Christ, the true God, and healed him and made him well, and everybody saw that and admired. The paralyzed person, that very day, this hero of patience, took from Christ, the King of all, the prize of patience.
Let, my beloved people, this prize of patience become our prize too, for men and women, for all of us who suffer from sorrows in this world. To survive them, we can take a look on these heroes of patience, like the paralyzed, and especially the king of pain and grief, our Lord Jesus Christ, who said; “In the world you will have tribulation, sorrows and grief; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”.
Bishop of Florina Augustin
(Taken from the book “Stagones apo to Idor to Zon”/”Drops from the Living Water”)
http://www.augoustinos-kantiotis.gr