"At the very least, he can let others know a little that he is hurting. He can tell them about his pain, but not tell them how strong this pain is, because if he completely hides his pain from others, then they may be tempted by some of his actions. For example, if a monk is in pain and cannot go to the service, then if he does not tell others about his condition, it is possible that someone who does not have good thoughts will be harmed.

Attitude to pain

– Geronda, what kind of pain do you call unbearable?

– Pain that makes tears flow. These are not tears of repentance or tears of joy. What category do you think these tears belong to?

"Perhaps, Geronda, to the category of martyrdom?"

– Of course, it belongs to the category of martyrdom.

– Geronda, when I experience severe pain, it is difficult for me to say the words "Glory to You, O God."

"Why is it difficult for you to say them?" Think about what Christ endured. Beatings, humiliation, scourging, crucifixion! [110] And He endured all this, "He is sinless" [111] in order to save us. And you, when you are hurt, say: "For the sake of Your love, my Christ, I will endure."

– Geronda, what is needed to overcome pain?

"It takes courage and effort.

– And how can a person overcome unbearable pain?

– If he is a worldly person, then with a worldly song, if he is a spiritual person, then with a spiritual song... One day my father had a high fever and a terrible headache. Do you know what he did? He ate salted herring, drank a glass of wine and sang a song: "Wake up, my unfortunate, disenfranchised people." Then he sang a few more partisan songs, and his head went away! In this way, so that the pain may dissipate, we will sing spiritual songs! I remember how I once caught a cold, and I had such a terrible headache that my head was splitting. Well, I began to sing a very beautiful chant, and the headache went away. Indeed, psalmody together with the Jesus Prayer is very helpful in such cases. It makes the soul tender, delights it, because constant sorrows and pains oppress the soul, and it cools down. And last night I couldn't sleep from the pain either. I even thought that if I died before dawn, then one long day would come for me. After all, in other life there are no sunsets or sunrises... But then I accepted... an analgesic "pill" - sang the troparion "By the illnesses of the saints, who have suffered for Thee, beseech the Lord, and heal all our illnesses..."[112]. The effect of this pill turned out to be long-lasting, it lasted all night! Do doctors have such pills?

– Geronda, they say that at night the pain intensifies.

– Yes, a person gets worse at night. But, in addition, during the day, communicating with people, talking, patients forget about their pain. At night they are left alone with themselves, their mind goes into pain, and it seems to them that it intensifies. There is no getting away from pain during illness, but the task is to turn the knob of [spiritual] attunement to a different frequency in order to forget about these pains. After all, if you treat pain incorrectly, then it hurts you twice as much. If you think about pain, the pain gets worse. But if you include a good thought in your work, for example, if you remember those who are even more hurt than you, or if you sing something churchly, then the pain is forgotten.