In the Old Testament it is said that love is as strong as death but the New Testament teaches us that the love of God is stronger than death. Thus, if we have endured disgrace for Christ and He gave us in return the energy of His Love, then we are capable of suffering and pass through struggles, that otherwise would have been unbearable, without feeling their burden. The words of our Lord to Saint Siluan “keep your mind in hell and despair not” –is a clear indication that all those who think of themselves to be worthy of hell cannot contest any hard word or illness because he already condemned himself to the struggles of hell. Through voluntarily suffering and self-condemnation we do not take into consideration other struggles, because we have already chosen the hardest of them all, the only one that we truly deserve. Those who step onto this path not only that they do not give in in front of the struggle of this life but they also receive the grace of curing themselves from incurable illnesses.

Father Porfirie said the following words to someone that was struggling with cancer: “Make the power of prayer stronger than the struggle of illness”. This person admitted that as long as he could pray, his pain was alleviated, and as soon as the energy of prayer was weakened, the pain became unbearable.

(Translation from Arhimandrit Zaharia Zaharou, Adu-ţi aminte de dragostea cea dintâi (Apocalipsa 2, 4-5) – Cele trei perioade ale vieţii duhovniceşti în teologia Părintelui Sofronie, Editura Doxologia, Iaşi, 2015, pp. 79-80)