ABSTRACT. In the present article we do not intend to provide a propaedeutic to the mystery of suffering, but we desire to lead the reader to a world of profound thinking and intense theological experience, of the superior spiritual understanding and of the logic of faith, as it is contained in the Eastern Fathers of the Church. The considerations below cannot alleviate suffering, yet the approach to suffering and enduring it as espoused by other people, as well as the experience of the saints under this condition can facilitate understanding sickness from a different perspective, and acceptancing it more easily. Thus, we shall be able to arrive at the conclusion that Orthodox spirituality has the power to transfigure suffering, to moderate and validate it. If we accept suffering, its meaning and implications will be revealed gradually to us. Suffering purifies Christians who endure it and thus they become more and more like Christ. pp. 45–55

Keywords: Orthodox Saints; teaching; illness; suffering; Heaven; spirituality