"There are so many of you nuns that you can't kill a caterpillar!" When locusts attacked the fields during the occupation, the Holy Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought from the Vatopedi Monastery[71] here, to Chalkidiki[71] — and the locusts fell in clouds into the sea. And in Epirus, I remember, it covered the fields like snow. We all went out into the fields then - collected locusts with sheets and carried them away. And what a famine there was then! It's better not to ask... The wheat after the locusts came to its senses again, but it was already very, very weak.

Locust plagues, wars, droughts, diseases are a scourge. And it is not that God wants to educate man in this way, no, these misfortunes are a consequence of man's separation from God. All this happens because man is torn away from God. And God's wrath comes – so that a person remembers God and asks for His help. It is not that God arranges all this and gives commands that this or that misfortune should come upon man. No, but God, seeing to what extent people's malice will reach and knowing that they will not change, allows misfortune to happen – for their admonition. This does not mean that God arranges all this Himself.

God commanded Joshua[73] not to exterminate one pagan tribe, the Philistines, so that when the Jews forgot God, the Philistines would become a scourge to them. Thus, when the Jews moved away from God, the devil entered into his rights, stirred up his "brothers" – the Philistines, and they went to war against the Jews. They took Hebrew babies and smashed them against a stone to destroy [all]. But when the enemies attacked Israel through no fault on the part of the Jews, God Himself fought on the side of the Jews. God struck the Gentiles with a hail of stones[74] and destroyed them, because in this case the Israelites had the right to divine intervention.

How many promises did God give about the temple of Solomon! And yet, how many times this temple burned down and was destroyed! When the people of Israel departed from God, the prophets began to call out to the people and called them to come to their senses, but their efforts were in vain. People comforted themselves with the following thought: "When Solomon built the temple, God sent down many blessings and said that from that place all people would be blessed and sanctified[75]. This means that all this will remain unharmed – both our walls and our church. Such a promise was given by God." Yes, God gave such a promise, but on the condition that the Israelites themselves would live rightly. God gave Grace to the temple of Solomon, but when the Israelites ceased to keep the commandments, then by His permission the temple was given over to fire or destruction. And after repenting, the Israelites built the temple anew. For example, when they departed from God under the pair of Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar came, set fire to the temple, destroyed the walls of Jerusalem, and led the Jews in chains into Babylonian captivity. Of course, those who were innocent were also taken captive, but these people had a pure retribution. Those whose guilt was great, atoned for it. And those who suffered whose guilt was not so great received a small recompense. When someone becomes the cause of God's wrath and the innocent are also subjected to suffering, then, although the innocent sufferers are waiting for a reward, the one who is guilty of their suffering is still a criminal, so [innocent] people could inherit the kingdom of heaven without suffering, while now they are suffering.

We must know that believers who keep God's commandments receive the Grace of God, and God – how to put it better – "without fail" helps them in these difficult years. I've heard that a new disease has emerged in America. Many of those who live an unnatural, sinful life fall ill with it and die. And now I have learned that this disease has appeared in our country. You see, it is not God who destroys people – people destroy their own race, they destroy themselves. That is, it is not God who punishes them, but by their sinful life they create punishment for themselves. And it is clear that those people whose life has no meaning are being eradicated.

 "Geronda, why can't they find a cure for cancer?" Does God not allow this, or do people themselves not call for divine help?

 "The bad thing is that even if a cure for cancer is found, some other disease will appear. First there was tuberculosis – a cure for tuberculosis was found – cancer appeared. And if God helps to defeat cancer, then another disease will appear. The cause of the new disease will be the people themselves, and there will be no end to it.

Everything that God allows is philanthropic

 "Geronda, why does God allow some misfortune to happen?"

 — There can be many reasons for this. In one case, God allows misfortune to come out of it, in the other case, for "pedagogical" purposes. Some receive retribution, others pay for their sins – nothing is lost. Know that everything that God allows is philanthropic, even, for example, the destruction of people. After all, God is "compassionate". Do you remember how many the prophet Elijah slain? [78] Three hundred priests of Baal! And he said to them, "Pray ye, and I will pray also. Whoever has a fire of its own accord has the true God." Then the priests of Baal began to cry out, "Hear us, O our God Baal, hear us." "Your god," the prophet Elijah says to them, "is busy with something and does not hear you. Come on, shout louder!" They continued to scream, and, as was their custom, cut their bodies with knives, so that their screams would be stronger in pain, and Baal would hear them. In the end, when they had achieved nothing, the prophet Elijah said, "Wet my wood," and then said to them, "Triple." The wood and the victim were poured with water - once, then again, again! They poured so much that the wood became damp and the water spread around the altar. As soon as the prophet Elijah prayed, fire descended from heaven and burned everything that was placed on the altar for sacrifice — along with the altar itself! "Seize the priests," the Prophet said to the people, "for they are seducing the people into idolatry." And then he slew all these false prophets.

Many people say, "Have mercy, but how could the prophet Elijah kill so many people?" However, the idolatrous priests had already deceived the entire people. It got to the point where the Prophet was forced to say that he was alone! Just think! But, in addition, the idolatrous priests suffered from their own wounds more than from the sword of the prophet Elijah, which put an end to their suffering. Their pain from self-torture was stronger. You see: everything that God allows is philanthropic, while the wounds that they inflicted on themselves were painful for them.

 "And why, Geronda, did God's punishment come so immediately in the Old Testament?"

 "The people of the Old Testament understood such a language, such a law. God was then the same as he is now, but the Old Testament law was intended for the people of that time, because they did not understand otherwise. Do not let the Old Testament law seem cruel and different from the Gospel. For that era, this law was beneficial. It was not the law that was cruel, it was that generation that was cruel. People today can, of course, commit even greater cruelties, but now at least they are able to understand it. Nowadays, as soon as you swing some lampada, people are in such awe! And in those days, God did all sorts of things! See: He smote Pharaoh with ten plagues to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, and dried up the Red Sea so that they could pass through it. During the day He gave them a cloud so that the sun would not burn them, and at night He gave them a pillar of fire to show them the way. And after all these miracles, they went so far as to ask for a golden calf to be made for them and began to worship it as God! [79] People today would never say that some calf could lead them to the Promised Land.

Today God is pushed to the last place