Deliver Us from Every Evil Sorrow
The talk begins by mentioning the phrase said at the end of prayers: “Deliver us from every evil sorrow and heartache,” and His Holiness Pope Shenouda III clarifies that God created man for joy and that there are acceptable sorrows and rejected sorrows.
The righteous sorrow and its types
He explains that righteous sorrow includes: remorse for sins, sorrow for the salvation of people, weeping over the people’s sins, and sharing others’ pains. He cites biblical examples (David, Solomon, Jeremiah, Stephen, Daniel) and clarifies that sorrow over sin leads to repentance and stirs the conscience.
The evil sorrow and its nature
He explains that evil sorrow is sorrow over vanities: loss of wealth or position or reputation, envy, self-attachment, or sorrow of long duration and depth without hope. He mentions examples like the rich young man who was sad to give up his wealth, Haman’s sorrow for lack of honor, and Joseph’s brothers’ sorrow out of envy.
Pathological sorrow (depression) and its cautions
He speaks about depression as an illness unlike beneficial repentance, and indicates that it needs spiritual and psychological treatment and that sedative drugs do not fix the spiritual roots. He urges addressing gloom from within by spirituality and asking for divine and ecclesial help.
Spiritual and ecclesial applications
He warns of the need to discriminate in our behavior: to rejoice in the Church’s feasts and not deprive others of joy because of a loss, to share people’s joys and sorrows, to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. He also mentions the need to train the heart not to cling to material things and not to lose hope in hardship.
Concluding practical exhortation
The conclusion is a call to action: train the self in pure sorrow that leads to repentance, avoid sorrows that remove hope or cast life into despair, and rely on prayer and use spiritual and ecclesial means of healing in facing the heart’s pains.
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