Now, in light of the knowledge of the Mystery of God’s providence, let’s look at sorrows, illnesses, pain (in a word, evil). (Let’s not forget that God does not want creation to suffer, that is, to be evil, and at the same time sends it, blesses it to be evil, does evil; similarly, as a father who does not want his child to suffer, but himself leads the child to a doctor who will cause pain and suffering to the child; and imagine that the father is also a dental doctor, that is, he himself causes pain to his child, whom he does not wish evil, and at the same time does evil with his own hands (does the father want healthy tooth tissues to be destroyed?—No, but during the treatment of a sick tooth, he is forced to remove the areas affected by caries, damaging (affecting) healthy tissues as well (the same during any surgery when removing diseased areas inevitably affects healthy tissues—this is one of the principles of innocent sufferings (we will talk about this in the next parts). Wishing happiness to his child—there is no other way, only: pain overcame pain! Therefore, God, not wanting evil, does evil (not sin, but evil)! Read carefully the prologue of the book of Job (ch. 1-2) and understand who is the cause of Job’s sufferings—devil, or someone Else?! For a better understanding, I will give an example: who is the murderer—the one who gave the order, permission to kill, or the one who carried out the order, that is, realized the will of the boss, the lord(ry)?! Or, who does evil, pain—the scalpel or the surgeon, the drill or the dentist?! Who is to blame (responsible for what happened), who stands behind that painful, sorrowful process of treatment?! Isn’t the real Teacher, who wishes all students to know ‘excellently’ the subject he teaches (without knowing this subject they won’t manage in life, won’t reach happiness), doesn’t he encourage learning in various ways: by encouragement, by intimidation, and even by punishments (especially lazy students)?! Further, think for yourself, thinking orthodoxly…). Let’s listen to what the Old Testament men-prophets say: ‘I form light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil (κακά—evil, troubles, misfortunes); I, the Lord, do all this’ (Isaiah 45:7), ‘Is there any evil (κακία—evil, trouble, misfortune) in the city, which the Lord did not create?’ (Amos 3:6), ‘The inhabitant of Maroth was grieved for her goods, because evil (κακά—evil, trouble) came down from the Lord to the gates of Jerusalem’ (Micah 1:12) and do not forget: ‘As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent’ (Revelation 3:19). Therefore, all sorrows, illnesses…—are medicines (or if you take another coordinate system (and project reality onto it)—a task that needs to be solved, a learning process—’no learning without a whip’)!
Therefore, “evil” from God; it remains to answer the question: why it is necessary, why can’t it be without it, even if God does not want it?! (Is it possible to heal the consequences of evil without evil?! Is it possible to cure pain without pain?! God did not create evil! Evil is our ‘creation’, and the consequences of evil are healed—by evil! (It is possible to anesthetize the process of surgery (e.g., to treat or remove a tooth with an injection)—locally, pain is not felt, but globally, the damage to health is greater than during treatment without an anesthetic (where possible)). Pain overcame pain, death overcame death—see details in the first part.). We have already given an answer to this question, in principle and in form. Just read again the testimony of Paul (2 Cor. ch. 11-12), but not by form, but by essence. To those sorrows that he endured daily (tortures: with sticks, whips, stones; dangers and troubles at sea, on roads, from his own, strangers… besides the external, daily worries, care for the churches weighed on him: languishing with those who languish, burning for those who are tempted; external sorrows compared to internal ones—pleasant massage…), God gave him the main headache, a severe illness (a thorn in the flesh, a satanic angel (thorn))! Wasn’t what Paul suffered daily enough that God gave him this disease?! The disease was so severe that, being in ‘the third heaven’, in paradise, Paul remembered it and begged the Lord to heal him (think about it, he asks for healing the one(!) who raised the dead, whose shadow healed the seriously ill, whose clothes were placed on the sick and they rose from the bed of disease healthy…); and he asked for health not to sin more, indulging his passions, but to preach the Gospel! And God made Paul understand, letting him know that being healthy is not useful to him! Why? Because Paul is a proud, sinful man, and so that he does not perish, knowing the mysteries of the Kingdom, so that he does not forget that he is nothing-being (nothing without God), so that he does not forget that the Grace of the Holy Spirit is not his merits or virtues, but a Gift, the Mercy of God! Therefore, God asks: do you want to be healthy, strong by your strength, or do you want to be weak, but strong by God’s power?! My strength, the Holy Spirit acts only in those who do not rely on their own strength (that is, who have humbled themselves, recognizing their absolute powerlessness)—’My strength is made perfect in weakness’. Therefore, if you want to be healthy (and proud; because Jesus Christ was healthy and humble), then you will not have the grace of the Holy Spirit, you (will not stand it) will not keep it! Therefore, illness or grace! Enough for you, my grace, but you still want health. My strength (God’s) is accomplished in weakness (in powerlessness, absolute hopelessness in oneself). Therefore, Paul, understanding the essence (and necessity) of sorrows, boasted of his infirmities and troubles, because through them the Grace of the Holy Spirit was in him! Either health (comfort in the flesh), or Grace?! Choose! Therefore, enough for you, grace, because my strength is accomplished in weakness. You will be healthy (and proud!)—pride, vanity will grow (you will exalt yourself with the extraordinariness of revelations), and grace will flee! Everyone who wants to sit on the right and left side with Christ in the Kingdom of God needs to be baptized (= immersed headlong) in the cup of sorrows (see Mt. 20:21-23; Mk. 10:37-39) for healing from pride (egotism), with which everyone is saturated (and the Apostle Paul is no exception). Everyone who comes to the Lord must prepare themselves for great sorrows!!! To keep the Holy Spirit, one needs to humble oneself (that is, to be righteous, one who knows the truth about oneself—who he is without God and who he is in God)! Indeed, the purpose of human life is to acquire the Holy Spirit, not to be healthy or ‘happy’, therefore sorrows are needed, so that a person does not boast of the Glory of the Holy Spirit, but remembers that he is nothing-being without God, and God’s Grace is a Gift… (details about acquiring the Holy Spirit in the next parts).