In such symbolic, figurative language: the hospital—The Church; the doctor—Lord Jesus Christ; medicines—these are the sacraments, at the heart of which lies the Eucharist; sorrows, diseases, trials—medical procedures, auxiliary means-conditions of reception and assimilation of medicines; Scripture—is the instruction for using medicines, for performing various procedures with precautions (“Who eats and drinks unworthily…”). Salvation—is treatment (baptism—is admission to the hospital,—hence its necessity and at the same time insufficiency: one can run away from the hospital, or be formally in it, but not go to procedures, not take medicines…—not live the Church life, that is, go to church, but not partake of the Lord in the sacrament of the Eucharist, or never be in the hospital, that is, you are just registered and a chart created without you—formal, without announcing baptism—the certificate of baptism exists, but he has never been in the Church… – Not all, over whom the act of baptism has been performed (not all registered in the registry are in the hospital, and not all are being treated) are Christians!!!).
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At the beginning of this section we talked a bit about divine providence—let’s say a bit more for reflection. Since everything comes to us from Eternity, from the future and is directed (purposeful, goes to the goal) into eternity, therefore “here and now” the laws of eternity operate, which we must know to make our will coincide with the will of God. To be able to approach God, not move away from Him. It depends on me how I will behave in this or that situation: by love, by the laws of eternal existence (which are expressed in the commandments of God and are realized in the God-man life of the Church), life according to which brings me closer to God, makes me kin to God, similar to Him; or by the “laws” of non-existence, egotism, selfness, and thus become further away from God (not in spatial-temporal categories, but in categories of similarity and dissimilarity, unlikeness: Christians in the Church try to be like God, and Satan and his children try to become unlike). The essence of spiritual life—is to move from strength to strength. But know, if you have wrongly realized yourself, not recognized God’s will about you “here and now” (it is one—to deify yourself, to realize your life as communication in love, self-sacrifice, self-denial), you make a mistake (sin) you may not rise from strength to strength (i.e., from humility to even greater humility), but will fall (decline) to a lower level—God there already awaits you, to accept your repentance (help you repent), He has already again created the best conditions for you, considering your spiritual state, gives you the strength to return and continue the journey upwards (to Golgotha, to the Cross, from which only the Resurrection is visible).
God at every moment creates the best conditions for each of us individually and for all together for the realization of free will. Therefore, all people are always in equal and the best conditions before God—and it depends on us whether we will grow or fall. Adam fell in paradise, and the Most Holy Theotokos on earth was able to give herself entirely to God; Adam had an immaculate state and paradisiacal conditions as a starting point, and the Most Holy Virgin—the earth, which produces thistles and thorns; Lucifer, the devil fell from heaven, from the height of divine communication, and Saint Anthony the Great from the earth of passions rose to the heavens of divine vision. How happy are Christians who have such a God, who loves regardless of anything, wishes happiness to everyone, and does everything possible to ensure everyone achieves it!..
P.S. This section naturally relates to the second part, but we placed it here so that at least those interested in the issues of diseases, sorrows would have some ideas for reflection. We will talk more about these topics in the second chapter. If you are interested in these issues and require more detailed explanation “here and now”— write me a letter (email address at the end of the book), and if I am still in this form of existence—I will be happy to communicate