In Wounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of St. Porphyrios, the saint addresses the suffering caused by over-sensitivity, and how this type of suffering, like all hardships, can be transformed into a gift by the grace of God.
Certain people, he says, “suffer with physiological and psychological pain for others. This sensitivity is a gift of God. We find it more frequently among women. Souls with this sensitivity are especially receptive to the will of God. These sensitive souls have the ability to advance greatly in the life of Christ, because they love God and do not wish to cause Him vexation. They do, however, run a danger. If they do not entrust their life fully to Christ, it is possible for the evil spirit to exploit their sensitivity and to lead them to depression and despair.”
St. Porphyrios goes on to offer the solution, and his guidance is a wise philosophy for the entire Christian life regardless of whether we are gifted with sensitivity or not. He explains that rather than trying to directly correct what is uncomfortable in ourselves—whether oversensitivity or some other condition—we have an opportunity for the condition to become transformed by the grace of God.
Sensitivity cannot be corrected. It can only be transformed, altered and transfigured so as to become love, joy and worship. How? By turning upwards. By turning every sorrow into knowledge of Christ, love of Christ and worship of Christ. And Christ, who constantly waits with eagerness to help us, will give you His grace and His strength to transform sorrow into joy, into love for our fellows and worship of Him. Thus darkness will flee. Remember Saint Paul. What did he say? Now I rejoice in my sufferings.
Let your soul devote itself to the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” in all your worries, for everything and for everyone. Don’t look at what’s happening to you, look at the light, at Christ, just as the child looks to its mother when something happens to it. See everything without anxiety, without depression, without strain and without stress. There is no need to exert yourselves and strain yourselves. Let all your effort be directed towards the light and towards acquiring the light, so that instead of devoting yourselves to thoughts of despair, which do not come from the Spirit of God, you devote yourselves to the praise of God.
All the unpleasant things which are within your soul and cause you anxiety can become occasions for the glorification of God and cease to torment you. Have trust in God. Then you will forget your worries and become His instruments… Let all the waves break over you and turn back leaving you untroubled. You’ll say, ‘That sounds fine, but is it possible?’ The answer is, “Yes, always – with the grace of God.’ If we look at things in human terms, of course, it is impossible. But instead of affecting you adversely, all these things can be of benefit to you, increasing your patience and your faith. Because all the difficulties that surround us represent a kind of gymnastics for us. We exercise ourselves in patience and endurance. [Wounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of St. Porphyrios, p. 144-145]
Further Reading