“Saint Pachomios Prayed that healing come only if it were for the good of a person’s Soul. And the Lord did many healings through Saint Pachomios, but if he Prayed over someone for his healing and wasn’t granted his request by the Lord, he wouldn’t be afflicted that his Prayer wasn’t heard, he would instead say ‘Lord, let Your Will be done.'”
From the Life of Saint Pachomios the Great
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“Those who come close to people in pain, naturally draw near to God, because God is always by the side of His children who are in pain.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“If we don’t Pray for the sick, then the sickness will develop naturally. But if we Pray for them, it can change its natural course. Therefore, always Pray for the sick.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“The Lord knows better than us, to whom it is useful: health or illness.”
Saint Joseph of Optina
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“When you pass beside a hospital make the Sign the Cross three times. Once for the patients, once for their relatives, and once for yourself because you aren’t there.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“I love with all my heart those whom I see… and at the same time, I think: If I, a mortal… can love them so much, how much more must God love them – God Who created them and Whose children they are. In other words, He is the first to care for them. He knows why they are sick. He knows what effect their sickness will have on their Soul. He knows the reason for all things. I can neither judge nor fathom any further, so this is what I do. I take this sick person in my heart. I make a fervent Prayer with all my love, and I place him at the Feet of Christ… I say, “My Lord, give him Your Pardon, give him Your Mercy, give him Your Light, give him Health of body and Soul. Make Your will manifest itself in his life.”… So, I say this Prayer and I leave the ailing person in the Hands of God… After I have done that, the Joy of God remains unaltered in my heart. I cannot weep over this person’s condition… My heart will be filled with compassion… This compassion will lead me to Prayer! Prayer will be as a union with God… to work His Miracles. God wants us to have love in this world – truly, He wants a human Soul to love in unison with Him… There is no greater energy than that of Prayer. Prayer is God’s energy.”
Saint Gavrilia, the Ascetic of Love
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“Never ask: ‘Why has this happened to me’? When you see somebody suffering from gangrene or cancer or blindness, never say: ‘Why has this happened to him’? Instead, Pray God to grant you the vision of the other shore… Then, like the Angels, you will be able to see things as they really are: Everything in God’s plan. Everything.”
Saint Gavrilia, the Ascetic of Love
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