Catholic Revelation

Question:

How would you respond the next time someone asks you,
“If God is a good God, how can He allow innocent people to suffer?”

Because we humans can’t completely understand the mystery of suffering we feel that a good God would not allow innocent people to suffer. But, do we really know what God, who is the only one who bears all wisdom, has in store for the person who suffers? Furthermore, can we be certain that the person who suffers doesn’t have the joy of God as well giving great meaning and purpose to his life? Is it the person who suffers who we should feel sorry for, or is it the person who has everything that earthly ways can obtain, but has no faith, who we must feel sorry for? Does God hand out suffering with no joy and only misery, or do we perpetuate our own misery when we decide we don’t need Him?

We need to always remember the special people in our lives who inspire us with their faith. These are the people who endure many different kinds of misfortune and still manage to hold the joy of God in their hearts. Many of these people offer their sufferings to God for the sake of the good of His Kingdom. Despite their suffering, they have joy because they have purpose. Mother Teresa willingly suffered for God and maintained her joy, but ordinary people suffer and have joy too. These are people who hold onto their joy of faith. These are people I work with, attend Mass with, go to Bible School with, etc. The person we really need to pray for isn’t the person who suffers, but it is the person who lacks the joy that comes from faith in God. In a sense, you could say that the person we need to pray for most is the person who can’t accept his sufferings because he lacks the faith to trust God in all matters of his life. Read more...