Experiencing God through Love and Suffering

In this book we began with the following premise: people can be “won” much more easily by revealing God’s overwhelming love for them as opposed to being frightened by hell’s ordeal through various threats. In the Orthodox Church we celebrate the joy of God’s redemption at every holy and deifying Liturgy over the year except one when the universal judgement day is brought to our attention; it will come together with the eternal agony of sinners not to terrify us but to make us more responsible. In the second part of the book we deal with the issue of knowing God and spiritual growth in suffering. The reflections in this book will not be downplay anyone’s suffering. The way in which the problem of suffering was debated others’ patience and experience could be helpful in understanding the problem and accept it more easily. When Christ the Lord does not free us from pain miraculously he certainly gives us power to endure it to the end to transfigure and change us to become closer and closer to God by the force of sacrificial love and prayer which are sources of strength and courage in suffering blessing and comfort.