Recently, God provided me with a profound example of humility. Close friends of our family suffered a great loss. Their 40-year-old son, Igor, passed away. His battle with cancer was swift and left no room for hope. In just a year, he was gone. Igor was a wonderful person—kind, compassionate, a devoted husband and father, and a professional in his field. By worldly standards, he was successful, strong, and independent. But it seems that God had His own path for him.
Though Igor was baptized as a child and believed in God, he didn’t attend church regularly. It was only during his illness that he truly felt God’s presence and became devout. As often happens, it was through suffering that his entire family came to a deeper understanding of faith. His mother, father, and wife turned to God. His mother started going on pilgrimages, studying the lives of saints, praying, confessing, and receiving Communion. Igor himself bore his illness with courage and faith, and shortly before his death, he expressed a strong desire to confess and partake in Communion.
A priest came to the hospital, served a prayer service, and what struck me most was how this gravely ill, almost paralyzed man crossed himself with great effort, his hand barely able to move. After receiving the sacraments, his face radiated light and happiness. Igor reached out to his parents, and they embraced in a moment of indescribable joy before his departure.
“Do not trust in fleeting beauty; behold, the strong and the young die...”
From a worldly perspective, it seems incomprehensible—a young, active man who took great care of himself, was in excellent physical shape, and yet he passed away so suddenly. As everything unfolded, I found myself searching for the right words, phrases—how to console his mother? What could I say? That we will all meet again, that in God, all are alive? And would it have been better if he had lived a long, peaceful, prosperous life but never found God, never came to faith? But he did find God. He came to love the Lord. He achieved the most important thing!
We met with his parents on the day of the farewell. When the moment came to say the most important words about Igor, his mother said, "I thank God for giving me such a son!"
I wanted so much to comfort her, but it turned out that she had already realized and spoken the most important truth. Even in her grief, she thanked God! She taught me a lesson in love for God and true humility. This is an unforgettable spiritual experience, and for that, I thank God once more.
Original article: radiovera.ru/urok-smirenija-marija-chugreeva