Hope in God's grace, mercy, love, benevolence, goodness, omniscience and omnipotence is the most powerful medicine that the godly man can possess. As a result, that person is both cured and protected by it.
But today, contemporary men and women, are not generally aware of the power of hope. Our parents, ancestors and previous generations of Christians possessed this
wonderful gift from God called hope. And so they hopefully turned to God's mercy on all occasions -- both before problems arose and after. They expressed it from the bottom of their hearts through the prayer, "Lord have mercy", and hopefully waited for God's mercy, His help and the solution of their problems. They gave courage to one another saying, "God will help". And they were appeased by the trust that God, their kind Father, would resolve all their difficulties. Therefore they too were not attacked by depression. In fact they did not need medicines, though they had countless problems due to poverty and destitution. Even if they were illiterate they knew and said heartily, "My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my shelter is the Holy Spirit. 0 Holy Trinity, glory be to You".
But today "modern", "up-to-date", "civilized" people believe in themselves and trust in their egos, in their abilities, their degrees, their inventions. And they also trust in their reason, even in their alleged holiness! What is the result? They have been, and still are attacked by depression. Why? Because they cannot solve the enormous problems of life all on their own. Because they cannot escape the traps of the Devil and of the world by themselves. They cannot obtain forgiveness of their sins and cannot clear their hearts from them. By themselves they can neither cure their soul's wounds, nor reach holiness, sinlessness and perfection. So they grieve over that and become depressed.
Human reason has bounds. Our knowledge is incomplete and fragmented. Our abilities are limited. Ourtechnical progress, though seemingly advanced, is too ineffective to solve personal problems, let alone those of nations and the world. Nothing can be done without God's mercy. "Without Me you can do nothing", says the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.80
Our Church as a whole and Her members individually, have always hoped in God's mercy. In all the prayers, the Holy Offices, the Divine Liturgies, the invocation "Lord have mercy" is said and heard hundreds of times. Reference is also made to the "great tenderness", "the multitude of Thy tender mercies", and "Have mercy upon us... and save our souls".
Abbot Spyridon
Depression
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