12 Purposes for Pain

Summary

In this reflective discourse, the speaker delves into the spiritual significance of pain, drawing from St. John Chrysostom's insights on God's providential purposes. The sermon outlines 12 reasons why God allows suffering, emphasizing the role of pain as a divine training ground, a path to purification, and a means to glorify the righteous. It also highlights the transformative power of suffering in the conversion of evil, the advancement of the Gospel, and the magnification of God's grace. The speaker encourages embracing trials with faith, likening life's challenges to a wrestling school where endurance and character are forged.

Takeaways

• 🙏 The speaker reflects on the purpose of pain through the lens of their religious beliefs, drawing parallels to their personal experiences and the teachings of the Orthodox Christian faith.
• 📖 The sermon is based on 'God's 12 purposes for pain,' inspired by teachings from St. John Chrysostom, particularly his text on the Providence of God.
• ⚔ The first purpose of pain mentioned is as a training ground for spiritual growth, likening life's struggles to a wrestling school where one learns to fight against sin and the devil.
• 🔥 Pain is described as a path to purification, where trials and tribulations refine and purify the believer's faith, much like gold is refined in a furnace.
• 👑 Suffering glorifies the righteous, as seen in the life of Jesus Christ, where his greatest glory was manifested through his suffering on the cross.
• 🔄 Pain can lead to the conversion of evildoers, using the example of St. Paul's transformation from a persecutor of Christians to a devoted apostle.
• 📢 The advancement of the Gospel is facilitated through suffering, as it emboldens believers to share their faith more openly, as exemplified by St. Paul's imprisonment experiences.
• 🙌 Pain magnifies the grace of God in our lives, teaching us to depend on divine grace rather than earthly comforts, as illustrated in 2 Corinthians 12.
• 🔍 Suffering separates the hypocrites from true believers, making Christian fellowship more authentic and preparing the way for confident ordinations.
• 🛑 Pain serves as a reminder that not all things are meant to go well in this life, but rather, they may be part of a greater divine plan for good, as seen in the story of Joseph.
• 🤝 The endurance of suffering silences the devil and serves as an education for unbelievers, as demonstrated by the story of King Nebuchadnezzar and the Prophet Daniel.
• 🏆 The final takeaway is that the endurance of suffering is the splendor of the Church, as it teaches the world about steadfastness, self-restraint, and the true values of life beyond earthly pleasures.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the reflection presented in the script?

The main theme of the reflection is 'God's 12 purposes for pain,' exploring the reasons and spiritual significance behind suffering from a Christian perspective.

What does the speaker suggest as the purpose of life being described as a 'wrestling school'?

The purpose is to train and prepare individuals, likening life's struggles to a training ground where one learns to fight against sin and the devil, thus growing in virtue.

How does the speaker connect the idea of trials to purification?

Trials are seen as a path to purification, where enduring them refines one's faith, leading to spiritual maturation and perfection, similar to how gold is purified in a furnace.

What role does suffering play in the glorification of the righteous according to the script?

Suffering magnifies the glory of the righteous, as exemplified by Jesus Christ on the cross, showing that great suffering can lead to great spiritual manifestation.

Why does the speaker mention the conversion of St. Paul as an example of God's purpose in suffering?

The conversion of St. Paul demonstrates that suffering can lead to the salvation and transformation of individuals, ultimately benefiting the Church and advancing the Gospel.

What is the significance of suffering in advancing the Gospel according to the script?

Suffering, as experienced by St. Paul, emboldened others to preach the Gospel and led to the evangelization of many, including members of Caesar's household.

How does the script explain the relationship between suffering and the grace of God?

Suffering magnifies the grace of God in our lives, teaching us to depend on God's grace rather than earthly comforts, as illustrated by St. Paul's 'thorn in the flesh'.

What does the script suggest as the purpose of pain in separating hypocrites from true believers?

Pain serves to authenticate true faith, making Christian fellowship more genuine and preparing the way for confident ordinations, thus purifying the Church.

How does the speaker use the story of Joseph to illustrate the purpose of suffering?

The story of Joseph shows that suffering can lead to greater good, as his trials ultimately positioned him to save many lives and fulfill God's plan.

What is the purpose of suffering in the education of unbelievers, as discussed in the script?

Suffering serves as a means to educate unbelievers about the true faith, as seen in the story of King Nebuchadnezzar who came to believe in the one true God through the suffering of the Prophet Daniel.

Why does the script mention the importance of endurance in suffering for the believer?

Endurance in suffering is crucial as it proves the authenticity of the believer's faith, aligning with the discipline described in Hebrews chapter 12 and shaping believers into the image of God.

How does the speaker conclude the reflection on the purposes of pain?

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the splendor of the Church through the endurance of suffering, highlighting how it instructs the world in steadfastness, self-restraint, and contempt for earthly things.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 Reflection on God's Purposes for Pain

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for the audience's attention and introduces a reflection on 'God's 12 purposes for pain.' They relate the theme to their personal experiences and the role of religious leaders in providing spiritual nourishment. The speaker also discusses the Orthodox Christian perspective on the church's structure, emphasizing the importance of bishops and the collective nature of the church. They share their recent experiences at a diocesan conference and the theme of Romans 8:28, which speaks to the belief that God works all things for good for those who love Him. The speaker challenges the audience to consider their faith during times of suffering.

05:00

📚 Delving into the Providential Purposes of Pain

The speaker delves deeper into the reasons behind pain and suffering as seen through the teachings of St. John Chrysostom. They discuss the concept of life as a training ground for spiritual growth, using the metaphor of a wrestling school to illustrate the process of refinement through trials. The speaker highlights the importance of trials for purification, glorification of the righteous, and the conversion of evil men. They also touch on how suffering can advance the Gospel, magnify God's grace, and separate the hypocrites from true believers. The speaker encourages the audience to understand and accept the divine purpose in pain and suffering.

10:01

🛡 Suffering as a Catalyst for Spiritual Growth

Continuing the discussion on suffering, the speaker outlines additional purposes for pain as identified by St. John Chrysostom. They explain how pain can remind us of the potential for good to come from bad situations, as exemplified by the story of Joseph. The speaker also discusses how enduring suffering can silence the devil, educate unbelievers, and prove the authenticity of one's faith. They emphasize the importance of viewing suffering as an opportunity for spiritual advancement and for reflecting the glory of the church through patient endurance.

15:01

🌟 The Splendor of Enduring Suffering

The speaker concludes the reflection by emphasizing the splendor of the church in enduring suffering. They quote St. John Chrysostom to illustrate how the church shines brighter when faced with trials and tribulations. The speaker encourages the audience to trust in God's providence and to follow the example of Abraham, who demonstrated unwavering faith in God's plans. The message is one of confidence in God's loving designs, even in the face of suffering, and the assurance that all events in the lives of God's children are part of His divine plan for their eternal glory.

Keywords

💡Reflection

In the context of the video, 'reflection' refers to a contemplative piece or discourse, often of a spiritual or philosophical nature. The speaker uses the term to introduce their prepared discourse on the purposes of pain as seen through a religious lens. The reflection serves as the thematic foundation for the entire video, guiding the audience through various interpretations of pain's role in spiritual growth and understanding.

💡Pain

Pain is a central theme in the video, explored through the lens of Christian theology. It is defined not merely as physical suffering but also as a catalyst for spiritual growth, purification, and the realization of God's providence. The script discusses pain in various contexts, such as a training ground for the soul, a path to purification, and a means to glorify the righteous, illustrating the multifaceted role of pain in the believer's journey.

💡Providence

Providence, in this video, refers to the divine guidance and care of God over the universe and the lives of individuals. It is a key concept that underpins the speaker's discussion on the purpose of pain, suggesting that all suffering is part of a larger, benevolent plan. The idea is supported by scriptural references and the teachings of St. John Chrysostom, indicating that God's providence works through pain for the ultimate good of believers.

💡Orthodox Christianity

Orthodox Christianity is the religious tradition from which the speaker's perspective is derived. It emphasizes the importance of bishops and the collective nature of the Church, contrasting with more congregational forms of Christianity. The video script references the Orthodox understanding of the Church's structure and its impact on the believer's experience of pain and suffering within the context of their faith.

💡Bishops

Bishops, in the script, are the spiritual leaders within the Orthodox Christian tradition who oversee the faith and practice of their congregations. The speaker discusses the role of bishops in providing guidance and governance, as well as their representation of the larger body of the Church. The concept is integral to understanding the Orthodox view of ecclesiastical authority and its influence on the believer's life.

💡Suffering

Suffering is a recurrent theme in the video, closely related to pain but often implying a more profound, enduring trial. The speaker explores the purposes behind suffering, suggesting that it serves to test, purify, and ultimately strengthen the believer's faith. Examples from the script include the suffering of St. Paul and the broader Christian understanding of suffering as a path to spiritual enlightenment.

💡Faith

Faith is the foundational belief in God and trust in His divine plan, as discussed in the video. It is portrayed as a virtue that is tested and deepened through pain and suffering. The speaker emphasizes the importance of maintaining faith during trials, referencing scriptural examples such as Romans 8:28 and the teachings of St. John Chrysostom to illustrate how faith can be a source of strength and consolation.

💡Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth is the process of developing and enhancing one's relationship with God, often through trials and tribulations. The video script discusses how pain and suffering can serve as a means for spiritual growth, shaping the believer's character and deepening their understanding of God's will. The concept is integral to the speaker's exploration of the positive outcomes that can arise from enduring pain.

💡Divine Purpose

Divine purpose refers to the higher, sacred intentions behind events and circumstances, particularly those that may initially seem negative or painful. The video emphasizes the importance of recognizing and accepting the divine purpose in pain and suffering, suggesting that all experiences work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His plans, as stated in Romans 8:28.

💡St. John Chrysostom

St. John Chrysostom is a prominent figure in the video, cited for his teachings on the providence of God and the purposes of pain. His reflections provide a theological framework for understanding suffering as a means of spiritual development, purification, and ultimately, the glorification of God. The speaker draws extensively from Chrysostom's writings to elucidate the transformative potential of pain in the believer's life.

💡Endurance

Endurance is the ability to withstand hardship or adversity, a quality that the video script highlights as essential for spiritual growth. The speaker discusses how enduring pain and suffering can lead to the strengthening of one's faith and character, referencing scriptural passages and the teachings of the Church Fathers, such as St. James and St. Paul, to emphasize the virtue of endurance in the face of trials.

Highlights

Reflection on God's 12 purposes for pain, inspired by personal experiences and Orthodox Christian teachings.

The importance of hard work in manifesting love for the flock, as demonstrated by priests and bishops.

The significance of the Orthodox Christian structure, emphasizing the role of bishops and the unity of the church.

The transformative experience of moving from a non-Orthodox to an Orthodox Christian perspective on bishops and church governance.

The theme of the diocesan conference: Romans 8:28, exploring God's providence in the face of suffering.

The sermon on faith in a crucible of pain, discussing how to maintain faith during suffering.

The role of suffering in glorifying the righteous, as seen in the life of Christ and the early church.

The idea that suffering can lead to the conversion of evil men, using the example of St. Paul's transformation.

Suffering as a means to advance the Gospel, as illustrated by St. Paul's experiences and teachings.

The magnification of God's grace in our lives through suffering, as discussed in 2 Corinthians 12.

The separation of hypocrites from true believers through suffering, highlighting the authenticity of faith.

Suffering as a reminder that things must go bad to eventually go good, using the story of Joseph as an example.

The concept that suffering can educate unbelievers, drawing from the story of King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel.

Suffering as a test of authenticity for believers, aligning with the teachings of Hebrews 12.

The splendor of the church through the endurance of suffering, as described by St. John Chrysostom.

The encouragement to trust in God's providence and the eternal purpose behind suffering.

Transcripts

everyone God bless you thanks so much

for tuning in I have a reflection

prepared for you today that I'm

entitling God's 12 purposes for pain I'd

like to say that I have a reflection

prepared for you because it makes me

think of my mother God Rest her soul and

all of uh the labor that she went to to

feed myself and my sister when we were

young and uh it was a manifestation of

her great love for us and this is the

same

for priests and Bishops we manifest our

love for the flock by working hard at

preparing a scrumptuous well nourishing

Soul benefiting mind illumining

teachings uh this is the case this is

why when our Lord met Peter on the beach

after the resurrection and was restoring

him he said Peter if you love me feed my

sheep feed my sheep

I hope that uh you all are someplace

where you are not boiling uh to death

Southern California is very hot and I've

just returned from a diois and

conference for a week in Tucson Arizona

where it was even

hotter on our 7h hour drive home the

average on the uh cars temperature was

117 praise the Lord that we didn't have

a breakdown on the way home wow wow uh

may God strengthen us all especially if

you're in the part of the world as I am

that is very hot this summer you heard

me just now mention that I was at a

diois in conference some of you uh who

are not Orthodox Christians may not know

what a diois in conference is I'll just

say this that Orthodox Christians are

not congregational the church has never

been just a collection of congregations

uh in inde dependent of one another that

is a modern phenomenon a very very

recent modern phenomenon the so-call non

denominational movement uh there is

really no such thing every

non-denominational church is a

denomination of one the church is always

been bound uh not just together by the

Eucharist and the local congregation but

also under the governance of a bishop

the church is a massive collection of

dicese Bishops relating with Bishops in

local senates and uh parishes belonging

not just to uh the pastor but uh that

Pastor is part of a larger body of

presor uh overseen by a bishop this is

the way that the church has always lived

it was a big deal for me actually when I

was young because I was raised a

presbyterian a form of protestantism

that only had presbyters and didn't

believe in Bishops at all uh it was

quite a shock for me to

come to the realization that the New

Testament clearly taught that Bishops

and does and life

exists and um that I needed

one anyway at the conference uh this

last week we were all gathered around

our Bishop and meeting together in sweet

Fellowship dedicated to a particular

theme as we always have a theme for our

conferences and the theme this last week

was Romans 82 a magnificent text God

works all things together for good for

those who love him and are called

according to his purposes this a

beautiful text from St Paul's epistle to

the Romans is a text of incredible

consolation uh for Christian people and

has been for 2,000

years it's also a text that is greatly

challenging in moments of

suffering do we believe that God works

all things together for good when we're

suffering terribly when we're in a

crucible of suffering a cauldron of pain

then do we believe that verse and if so

how do we believe that verse I gave a

sermon uh last Friday night at our

conference after Vespers uh on the

subject of Faith uh in a crucible of

pain how to have faith when it looks

like from our external perspective

without penetrating spiritual Insight

when it looks like everything's going

wrong how do we have that kind of faith

I gave another sermon similar to that uh

this last Sunday here uh at my Parish

which you can find on our on Spotify and

all the podcast

platforms did you see our new website

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ministry and today in this reflection

I'd like to delve more deeply into God's

providential purposes for pain and

suffering what are 12 purposes for pain

I'm gathering these uh teachings from

the great St John costom and especially

from His Marvelous text on the

Providence of God this is text that he

wrote uh at the end of his life when he

himself was undergoing excruciating

torments he had been cast into Exile

unjustly condemned by Godless

Bishops he had been beaten terribly uh

he was on the edge of death because his

body was terribly sick he was burning

with fevers he was surrounded by

barbarians he had been cast to the

corner of the Empire the soldiers had

taken them him there to

die and he wrote WR this text and a few

other very important texts like his

personal correspondence with st Olympia

the Deaconess who was his dear friend uh

beautiful words on how to overcome

depression and discouragement she had a

weakness towards that and especially

with her spiritual father being harassed

and she being accused of burning down

the cathedral in Constantinople can you

imagine he wrote her these incredible

letters on how to overcome depression

and to conquer death doubt in the face

of suffering he also wrote an incredible

Treatise called that no man can be

harmed who does not harm

himself which is a marvelous Treatise

and this work on the Providence of God

from which I'm going to uh derive U

these 12 purposes in pain why does God

cause this kind of uh

pain but I would recommend that you buy

this book and read it on the Providence

of God it is

fundamental theology uh to understand

God's all uh super ordaining Providence

and his great power and how his love

manifests everything that he does uh for

his people how does God use lovingly

pain in our lives uh in 12 ways well let

me begin uh by reading you one of my

favorite patristic quotes it's from

chapter 21 of St John chrysostom's text

and and it will Orient you towards life

he says this if you say and why in both

the Old and New Testaments are there so

many dangers and so many trials and so

many snares then learn the

cause what is the cause the present life

is a wrestling school a training ground

an arena a smelting furnace a die House

of

virtue just as leather dressers taking

the hides first work them stretch them

strike them Dash them against walls and

stones and by countless other treatments

make them fit to receive the die and

thus they impart to them a prized color

just as goldsmiths by putting the gold

Into the Fire deliver it over to the

trial of the furnace in order to make it

exceedingly pure just as teachers at the

wrestling school train the contestants

with a great deal of hard work attacking

them more violently than their opponents

so that by exercise their whole bodies

will be set AR right and they will be

ready for the contests prepared for the

holds of their adversaries and will

easily undo them so also does God act in

the present life Wow wishing to make the

soul fit for virtue he works it refines

it gives it over to testing by trials in

order to strengthen those who have lost

heart and are slack so that those who

are worthy will become even more worthy

impregnable to the plots of the demons

and the traps of the devil and

preeminently fit to receive all the good

things to come for as they say a man who

has not been tested is worthless and

Paul says tribulation produces

perseverance and perseverance character

thus since God wants to make men patient

and enduring he permits the coins to be

tested in every way it was also for this

reason that God allowed job to go

through the things he went through so

that he would appear even more worthy

and would stop up the mouths of the

devil on this account God also sent the

apostles forth that they might become

more courageous and that in this way he

might display his own strength and in

fact this reason of is of no small

account thus when Paul was searching for

an abatement of the evils that Afflicted

him and to be released from them God

also said to him my grace is sufficient

for thee for my strength is made perfect

in weakness what a text what a text so

much of

our doubt so much of our mental anguish

grief of heart when we suffer in this

life comes from a poor valuation of the

meaning of our life we're trying to

establish what belongs to the Eternal

Kingdom uh an undisturbed life free from

all trials and tribulation we're trying

to establish that age now and it's out

of place this is the time for Action

this is the time for for growth this is

the time for the deepening of Faith

through trials and

tribulations so that Eternal rest can

come but if we misjudge where we are if

we think that we are now in the fullness

of the

Kingdom rather than the kingdom of God

being planted within us but that we are

called to develop our faith and grow in

the likeness of God now so that we are

fit for that age in which the Splendor

of God's light is so magnificent that we

could not bear it now if we make a

misjudgment about where we are now then

we won't understand

pain so that's the opening Salvo from St

John chrysostom he orients us to our

Earthly life and the Christians ambition

now let me share with you what I've

called over the years from this text on

the specific purposes God's 12 purposes

in our pain what is he trying to

accomplish uh well the first you just

heard is he's trying to train us you

heard him describe uh this life as a

wrestling school and then when you're

when you're learning to wrestle you're

learning to fight which we have to do uh

against the devils and against

sin when you're learning to fight your

coach uh attack attacks you even more

brutally than your

opponents this is what Chris system says

so that you'll learn their tricks and

you'll learn how to get out of their

holds and free yourself from these

things life is a training ground that's

number one number

two trials are a path to purification

this is why St James the brother of God

in his first epistle right in in the

Epistle of James he says consider it all

joy my brethren when you counter various

trials knowing that the testing of your

faith produces endurance and let

endurance have its perfect result that

you may become perfect and complete

lacking in nothing without trials no

Beauty no maturation no

Perfection now of course going from

accepting trials first we must accept

them by perceiving the Divine Purpose in

them but James go goes farther James

says consider it all joy he does what St

Paul says he does in Romans 5:3 and that

is St Paul describes it of the church I

I hope we can reach this path this level

he says we exalt in our sufferings

Romans 5:3 we actually exalt in our

sufferings he also says in Romans 8:18

that the sufferings of this present age

are not even worthy to be compared to

the glory that will be revealed what's

being accomplished through these trials

uh is so magnificent we have to trust

God about that

so this is number two number one life is

a training ground number two trials are

the path of

purification um faith has to grow and it

only grows uh through this trial we

should expect then the Kiln heat

pressure and we should fear

ease and not want too much comfort

because it will work counterproductively

in our life number three sufferings

glorify the righteous of course this is

most beautifully set forth in our

savior's life where was his glory most

manifest on the cross the height of his

loving suffering manifested his glor

glory this is why he prayed as he

ascended the cross father glorify thou

me without suffering crowns would be

diminished number four there is great

profit in the conversion of evil men

think of the example of St Paul why did

the Lord allow him to plunder the church

to persecute us why was Saul of Tarsus

allowed to uh encourage the murder of

the Holy protom martyr Steven the arch

Deon why was he there holding the Robes

of those who stoned Stephen to death

well St John Casta is pointing out that

the Lord allowed this because of the

conversion that would

follow and the incredible magnificence

that it would bring to the witness of

the church and to the benefit of the

church so sometimes we have to suffer

the opposition of evil men and of uh

those who persecute us because this is

the path to their own conversion

witnessing the faith-filled

joyful endurance of Believers under

persecution has converted so many people

to the faith

and has brought so many to God that's

number four number five it serves

sufferings served for the advance of the

Gospel St Paul says this in his epistle

to the Philippians he says that uh to

you it has been granted not only to

Believe In Christ but also to suffer for

his name's sake this is an incredible

text in Philippians 1 in which Paul is

saying that it's a gift and honor to

believe but also to suffer suffering is

a gift not

of course for many of us it's a gift we

don't want but that's because our minds

aren't christianized we don't have the

adequate faith and we need to increase

our faith of course Paul wrote those

very words to the Philippians in prison

after he had been brutally mugged stoned

left for

dead not given a proper uh trial as a

Roman citizen thrown into prison

and he wrote and said that it's a gift

to you it has been granted not only to

Believe In Christ but to

suffer it's a gift and then he

enumerates in his epistle to the

Philippians what benefit came one of the

benefits was that um many people were

emboldened to speak on behalf of Christ

and to preach the gospel to their

friends and neighbors because of Paul's

witness people stood up when they saw

Paul persecuted and th thrown in jail

they they recognized that they needed to

participate pay too he goes further and

says that another great gift for his

suffering and being put in prison at

this time was that the gospel might go

through from him to the guards and to

all the way to the heart of Caesar's

family Caesar's household was

evangelized in fact even some of his

closest relatives becoming Orthodox

Christians because of the fact that Paul

was thrown into jail and therefore had a

direct access uh to the Roman

authorities so that's number five number

six suffering magnifies the grace of God

in our

lives this uh is Manifest in Paul's

teaching about the thorn in his own

flesh in 2 Corinthians 12 where he

describes that he was afflicted by this

Thorn and he asked God to remove it

three times and God each time told him

that my power is shown forth in

weakness this is the means by which we

learn to depend on the grace of God and

we learn that the things that we think

we

need in this Earthly Life by way of kind

of uh Comforts Earthly Comforts his

grace is sufficient for us Paul learned

this practically speaking and we

recognize that Grace is poured out more

and more and we become more dependent uh

upon the grace of God that's number six

number seven pain separates the

Hypocrites from the True Believers it

has a very

practical

U effect St John chrum says on Christian

Fellowship it makes Fellowship more

authentic clears the way for uh

confident ordinations St John Chum says

in St John crum's teaching bad

ordinations number one cause of Trials

and suffering in the church and for a

poor witness bad ordinations and

suffering a person who has been tested

can be more confidently ordained

Fellowship can uh be deeper in matter of

fact when he was writing this he

specifically named Bishop

attakus um who was he called a wolf

ravaging the

church and he said don't be scandalized

by the clergy St John costum says Jesus

taught us not to be when he rebuked the

Pharisees he saidd do as they as they

teach not as they do

number

eight pain reminds us that things go bad

so that they can go good think of the

Holy patriarch Joseph the alely think of

all the things he went through his

brothers uh abandoning him selling him

into slavery almost killing him but why

what they met for evil God meant for

good he went through all of that

suffering so that beautiful things could

happen and of course we see this in the

lives of so many Saints

here in America uh Our Father among the

saints Raphael the bishop of Brooklyn

the Good Shepherd of the L sheep of

America went through so many

trials uh leaving uh Syria and then

going to Constantinople and then going

to Russia being accused and punished in

Russia being sent to Kazan all of that

as a preparation for the call that God

would make on his life to come and spend

the last two decades of his life doing

the fundamental missionary work here

establishing 30 churches in those last

20 years here in America upon which uh

so many Christians Orthodox Christians

lives in America have

depended things go bad so that they can

go good number

10 or maybe this be number nine I can't

remember uh suffering our faithful

endurance of suffering shuts the mouth

of the

devil think of the much suffering

Prophet job and how shame how how he was

able to shame the evil one who could not

conquer him think of the life of saints

Justina cyprien and Justina Justina this

pure-hearted young virgin and cyprien

the complicated demonic wizard who was a

confident of Satan himself and who

attempted to destroy the life and the

faith of Justina and yet through all of

the suffering he inflicted on her

through her simple trust in Christ her

trust in his cross her making the sign

of the cross she not only triumphed Over

The Temptations in her life but she

shamed the devil and she won cyprian to

the faith and he ended up becoming an

incredible Bishop can you imagine your

Bishop having been once uh The Confident

of Satan can you imagine listening to

his spiritual counsel about how to

overcome Temptations of the Devils uh

I'm sure he was capable of speaking in a

way that no one at the time

was capable of

speaking U number 10 it's the education

of unbelievers pain in our life is the

education of unbelievers and for this St

John Costa points out the story of uh

the famous King Nebuchadnezzar of

Babylon and how he learned uh through

the suffering of the Prophet Daniel he

learned about the one true God how else

would he have ever come to abandon the

fantasies of Babylonian the the

Babylonian Pantheon and all the nonsense

polytheism of his time he came to

believe in the one true God and even

proclaimed uh God's name throughout his

kingdom because of the suffering of the

holy prophet Daniel and what he endured

it was the preparation for uh the

magnificence Daniel and the Three Holy

children ananas azaras and missel their

sufferings in the lines then and in the

fiery furnace uh born in faith and with

praise and peace led to the

magnification of God's name and to the

advancement of his

people number

11 suffering particularly comes to us to

prove our

authenticity this is Hebrews chapter 12

where St Paul is very clear that true

children uh suffer

discipline the discipline of pain and

that without pain the kind of life that

we when we're not Faith filled want now

on the earth this would be the the life

of a of a bastard child of of some child

who has no parents because discipline is

the sign of loving

parenting truly makes us uh authentic

children into the image of God and

lastly it is the Splendor the endurance

of suffering is the Splendor of the

church I'll read to you uh an incredible

text from St John costom about this this

find this final point this is from uh

the 23rd

chapter St John chrysostom says however

even though the devil contrived so many

designs not only did he not shake the

church but he caused it to shine even

more brightly for when the church was

not troubled it did not teach everyone

in the same way that it now instructs

the whole world to be steadfast to

practice self-restraint to endure trials

to display patient endurance to despise

the things of the world to regard riches

as nothing to laugh at honor to show

contempt for death to despise life he

means Earthly life to disregard Homeland

relatives friends and kins folk to

prepare oneself for all sorts of

persecution to LEAP onto swords to

consider all the Magnificent things of

this life I mean honor and Glory power

and luxury to be more insignificant than

spring

flowers there you have it once is that

enough I think so 12

reasons for pain under the hand of God's

Providence let us not doubt let's have

confidence in the Lord's government of

our life put all our effort into

trusting him to having the faith of

Abraham which was an Earthly logic

denying faith when God asked Abraham to

offer for his only begotten son he

didn't sit down and Ponder how God could

possibly do this and God must be making

a mistake no he trusted in God and as

such not only won uh the the blessing of

God the covenantal blessings of God

forever for his

posterity but sets an example for us all

to believe God without any

doubt he has loving designs in all

suffering don't doubt it nothing happens

to God's children that is not in his own

Providence designed for their eternal

glory God be with you

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