Suffering and Trials
I would like to share with you how the Orthodox Church understands suffering and trials. Every Christian faces pain, loss, and hardship in life. These things can be difficult to accept, but the Bible teaches us that God can use even suffering to bring us closer to Him.
Jesus Himself suffered. Our Lord is not distant from our pain. The prophet Isaiah called Him “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). On the Cross, Jesus carried our sins and our sufferings (1 Peter 2:24). This means that when we suffer, we are never alone—Christ is with us.
Trials can strengthen our faith. Saint James writes: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2–3). In Orthodoxy, we see trials not as punishments, but as opportunities to grow in patience, endurance, and trust in God.
God brings good out of suffering. Saint Paul tells us: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). Even in the hardest times, God can turn our pain into a source of strength and compassion, shaping us into Christ’s likeness.
Suffering joins us to Christ. Paul also says, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death” (Philippians 3:10). When we bear suffering with faith, we are sharing in Christ’s own path, which leads to resurrection and life.
Our hope is greater than suffering. Saint Paul writes, “For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). The Orthodox Church teaches that all pain and sorrow will one day be overcome, when Christ wipes away every tear (Revelation 21:4).
The Orthodox view is not that suffering is meaningless, but that God transforms it. He allows trials to purify our faith, to teach us endurance, and to prepare us for the joy of His Kingdom.
With love in Christ,
Fr. Charles
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