D
Domini_cane
Guest
I kind of know the answer but don’t really understand it enough to explain it, and I know this is a common question for catholics. Could someone please explain it.
Thanks,
Thanks,
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Razanir
Guest
God gave us free will. Unfortunately, some people use that free will to do bad things. To prevent all evil, God would need to take away our free will.
K
klm120861
Guest
Because there is sin in the world. Because we have free-will, we are equally able to freely choose to do good or to do evil. The increadible thing about God is that no matter what the evil is that happens to us God uses it for good. Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (NABRE)
As Catholics, we have a message of suffering. And we have the answer to suffering. All bad things that happen have one thing in common: they cause suffering. Our example is Jesus Christ. He was the Only Begotten Son of the Father. He was brutally tortured and murdered. His mother and his best friends watched him die. He suffered. They suffered. They grieved. Perhaps his mother knew he would rise again on the thrid day, but the others didn’t. Even though he told them he would rise from the dead on the thrid day, they didn’t understand. Besides, at that moment, standing underneath the cross, with his blood pouring down, it didn’t even enter their thought process that he would rise again. Their best friend, their Master, their Lord was dead. The greatest “bad thing” of all had happened. But…
God knew the end from the beginning. Just as he does with us. He sees eternity. We don’t even see the full five minutes that is our life. When bad things happen, we join our sufferings with those of Jesus. We offer it up for the salvation of souls and for the souls in Purgatory. What we suffer here, when offered up to God for him to use as he chooses, may save a soul on the other side of the world. That soul may be the next Great Saint. We don’t know. When “bad things” happen to us, through our suffering, we are transformed. Everyone will face purgation before entering into the Beatific Vision. That either happens here on earth before we pass, or it happens in Purgatory. The “bad things” that happen are part of the purgation process.
“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perserverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1: 2-4 NABRE)
“Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts therought the holy Spirit that has been give to us.” (Romans 5:3-5 NABRE)
Also, never forget, that at some point in your life, in all of our lives, we will come across someone who will need for us to have walked through the bad that has happened to us. They will need to know what we have learned, because bad things happen to everyone. It’s one of the great common denominators of being human. And God is bigger…so much bigger…than any bad or evil that we have gone through. His grace truly is sufficient. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
I hope this helps. May God give you the words to explain why bad things happen. It’s not just a “Catholic” question. It’s a human question.
Kris
As Catholics, we have a message of suffering. And we have the answer to suffering. All bad things that happen have one thing in common: they cause suffering. Our example is Jesus Christ. He was the Only Begotten Son of the Father. He was brutally tortured and murdered. His mother and his best friends watched him die. He suffered. They suffered. They grieved. Perhaps his mother knew he would rise again on the thrid day, but the others didn’t. Even though he told them he would rise from the dead on the thrid day, they didn’t understand. Besides, at that moment, standing underneath the cross, with his blood pouring down, it didn’t even enter their thought process that he would rise again. Their best friend, their Master, their Lord was dead. The greatest “bad thing” of all had happened. But…
God knew the end from the beginning. Just as he does with us. He sees eternity. We don’t even see the full five minutes that is our life. When bad things happen, we join our sufferings with those of Jesus. We offer it up for the salvation of souls and for the souls in Purgatory. What we suffer here, when offered up to God for him to use as he chooses, may save a soul on the other side of the world. That soul may be the next Great Saint. We don’t know. When “bad things” happen to us, through our suffering, we are transformed. Everyone will face purgation before entering into the Beatific Vision. That either happens here on earth before we pass, or it happens in Purgatory. The “bad things” that happen are part of the purgation process.
“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perserverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1: 2-4 NABRE)
“Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts therought the holy Spirit that has been give to us.” (Romans 5:3-5 NABRE)
Also, never forget, that at some point in your life, in all of our lives, we will come across someone who will need for us to have walked through the bad that has happened to us. They will need to know what we have learned, because bad things happen to everyone. It’s one of the great common denominators of being human. And God is bigger…so much bigger…than any bad or evil that we have gone through. His grace truly is sufficient. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
I hope this helps. May God give you the words to explain why bad things happen. It’s not just a “Catholic” question. It’s a human question.
Kris
Y
Yahawashi
Guest
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Isaiah 45:7
Basically God is everything and anything he wants to be. Just like you have good and bad emotions. We are made in gods image, we have the ability to love and hate. God has all abilities not just love
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Isaiah 45:7
Basically God is everything and anything he wants to be. Just like you have good and bad emotions. We are made in gods image, we have the ability to love and hate. God has all abilities not just love
B
Back2Church
Guest
We have do define “bad things”.
If you mean evil, then you must only realize that evil isn’t some force that was created. It’s simply a corruption of good, a lack of good. When a man commits evil, he is not tapping into a nature of some dark force, but rather he has lost touch with goodness. Man is inherently good, but can become corrupted and make evil choices because he has cast away the goodness that comes from God. God does not will for people to do this. Quite the opposite.
On the other hand, if you mean bad things as in natural disasters, then you have to ponder why they happen and if they are even inherently bad to begin with. Nature is a complex system of systems, and what we call disasters are simply the natural course of things. In order for there to be no hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc., there would have to be no planet earth. It’s truly unfortunate that we can be so devistated by nature simply running its course, but how else could it be?
Another category of bad things are man made disasters. Catastrophies not from nature or from evil choices. Such as a building fire due to an electrical short or a car crash due to a tire blow out. These things just happen because we cannot create perfect things and our way of living is simply risky. We drive vehicles that are powered by small controlled explosions, we run lines of explosive gas through our neighborhoods and homes, we power our devices artificially generated lighting… and then we take it all for granted just how dangerous our daily lives actually are. Naturally there will be disasters.
To remove all the bad things from the world would mean not only to remove our free will, but it would mean to remove everything. God would have to bubble wrap each and every one of us and pack us into human sized egg cartons just to keep anything bad from ever happening. Of course, then we would consider being packed up like that to be bad, so he would have to lobotomize us all so we would be ok with such an existence. In the end, once God removed the possibility of all bad things from ever happening to us, we would be completely unable to have any good things happen to us. A god who does not allow anything good cannot be a good god at all. Therefore, for us to experience good, we have to coexist with bad things as well.
If you mean evil, then you must only realize that evil isn’t some force that was created. It’s simply a corruption of good, a lack of good. When a man commits evil, he is not tapping into a nature of some dark force, but rather he has lost touch with goodness. Man is inherently good, but can become corrupted and make evil choices because he has cast away the goodness that comes from God. God does not will for people to do this. Quite the opposite.
On the other hand, if you mean bad things as in natural disasters, then you have to ponder why they happen and if they are even inherently bad to begin with. Nature is a complex system of systems, and what we call disasters are simply the natural course of things. In order for there to be no hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc., there would have to be no planet earth. It’s truly unfortunate that we can be so devistated by nature simply running its course, but how else could it be?
Another category of bad things are man made disasters. Catastrophies not from nature or from evil choices. Such as a building fire due to an electrical short or a car crash due to a tire blow out. These things just happen because we cannot create perfect things and our way of living is simply risky. We drive vehicles that are powered by small controlled explosions, we run lines of explosive gas through our neighborhoods and homes, we power our devices artificially generated lighting… and then we take it all for granted just how dangerous our daily lives actually are. Naturally there will be disasters.
To remove all the bad things from the world would mean not only to remove our free will, but it would mean to remove everything. God would have to bubble wrap each and every one of us and pack us into human sized egg cartons just to keep anything bad from ever happening. Of course, then we would consider being packed up like that to be bad, so he would have to lobotomize us all so we would be ok with such an existence. In the end, once God removed the possibility of all bad things from ever happening to us, we would be completely unable to have any good things happen to us. A god who does not allow anything good cannot be a good god at all. Therefore, for us to experience good, we have to coexist with bad things as well.
F
fred_conty
Guest
Maybe this will help to answer your question in reverse.I kind of know the answer but don’t really understand it enough to explain it, and I know this is a common question for catholics. Could someone please explain it.
Thanks,
Suppose everyone on earth was a very very very good person and never did anything evil.
No more rapes, murders, thefts, speeding, arguing, beating, drunkenness, debauchery, impurity, devorces, adultery, child abuse, wars, drugs, hate, laziness, cussing, gossip, injustice, starvation.
Lots more of caring, helping, loving, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, peace.
What condition would our world be in? Would our children grow up wanting to live in it?
The real source of evil is not hurricanes, these can be fixed by a caring community of people.
The real source of evil is not God, he made everything good.
The real source of evil is … us.
Just a thought.
“Rain down, rain down, rain down you love on your people.” (hymn)
Y
Yahawashi
Guest
one cannot reply to This post With Their emotions or Feelings. God plagued egypt For Their False gods, idolotry, And enslaving the israelites. God created good And evil. Bring on Scripture not Your own feelings. Gods house is. Not The catholic church. He wouldnt have Allowed all the wicked molestation. The catholic church has the Spirit of homosexuality in her. The Earth is just gods foot rest.
Y
Yahawashi
Guest
Love not the world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him.
John 2 15
the world. If any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him.
John 2 15
Y
Yahawashi
Guest
God does hate he hated esau
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated.
Romans 9 13
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated.
Romans 9 13
S
steve_b
Guest
we are given free will. Which means God gives us choices. Just like He gave His angels a choice. If God says to me do THAT over there, and I don’t do it, disobedience to God is bad. God didn’t cause me to disobey. For whatever the reason I come up with, bottomline, I disobeyed God of my own free will.I kind of know the answer but don’t really understand it enough to explain it, and I know this is a common question for catholics. Could someone please explain it.
Thanks,
One could also look at the possibility of bad, as a test. If I say as the commandment requires, I love God with my whole mind heart and soul and love my neighbor as myself, how do I really test that? Is it real or a said love. Throw a test into it, and see what I do. Maybe my love isn’t as deep as I think it is. Maybe I fail the test altogether.
F
fred_conty
Guest
In John’s gospel it says, “God IS love”. John did not say that God has love or contains all love, but that he is love. That is what God is, Love itself.God does hate he hated esau
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated.
Romans 9 13
If God IS love then there cannot be any hate in God, for the two are contrary.
When the bible says that God hated Esau, the bible is speaking anthropromorphically, that is, like a man so that men will understand that Esau is not acceptable the way he is, that is, his attitude of soul is unappealing to God.
Just a thought.
F
fred_conty
Guest
I just reported you for this.one cannot reply to This post With Their emotions or Feelings. God plagued egypt For Their False gods, idolotry, And enslaving the israelites. God created good And evil. Bring on Scripture not Your own feelings. Gods house is. Not The catholic church. He wouldnt have Allowed all the wicked molestation. The catholic church has the Spirit of homosexuality in her. The Earth is just gods foot rest.
Y
Yahawashi
Guest
The truth shouldn’t bother you. You reported me for telling the truth, does it really hurt you that much?I just reported you for this.
Acts 7:49
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Instead of reporting me why don’t you debate me?
Proverbs 28:1
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
H
HelenRose
Guest
There is no answer that will fully satisfy. For children I explain it like this.
We are alive. Flowers are alive. Life is beautiful but life comes with a price.
Take a bouquet of beautiful silk flowers. Exquisite and fine. They do not wilt, they do not suffer, they do not die. But, they are not alive. They are not real.
Sure, there is death, suffering and pain. God could have made us like the silk flowers and the world would be a beautiful place but there would be no life.
I will choose life with all its trials and accept the price that must be paid.
We are alive. Flowers are alive. Life is beautiful but life comes with a price.
Take a bouquet of beautiful silk flowers. Exquisite and fine. They do not wilt, they do not suffer, they do not die. But, they are not alive. They are not real.
Sure, there is death, suffering and pain. God could have made us like the silk flowers and the world would be a beautiful place but there would be no life.
I will choose life with all its trials and accept the price that must be paid.
E
Evan
Guest
God lets us suffer because he loves us.
I had a kidney stone a few years ago and was in tremendous pain. While in the emergency room, I thought not of myself but of the others who were also suffering. Without this pain I never would have the empathy and care I had for these other people. I spent many hours in the ER praying for them.
Many of the Saints have said the true joy is found in suffering. I’ve always regretted that I cannot be that focused on prayer for other as I was that night in the ER. I could feel my love for strangers truly overflowing and wanted to do everything I could for their well being.
That pain was one of God’s greatest gifts to me.
I had a kidney stone a few years ago and was in tremendous pain. While in the emergency room, I thought not of myself but of the others who were also suffering. Without this pain I never would have the empathy and care I had for these other people. I spent many hours in the ER praying for them.
Many of the Saints have said the true joy is found in suffering. I’ve always regretted that I cannot be that focused on prayer for other as I was that night in the ER. I could feel my love for strangers truly overflowing and wanted to do everything I could for their well being.
That pain was one of God’s greatest gifts to me.
M
MarcoPolo
Guest
It is my understanding that in sending Christ, who himself showed the way in embracing the suffering of the cross, we can get a mysterious glimpse that enduring the way of the cross leads to glory and new life. What value has this suffering in the next life we cannot necessarily quantify. We can merely see the way of the master who did it first. If you should happen to want more of my two cents, see some thoughts from a couple years ago on facing, for example, natural disaster.
B
Back2Church
Guest
Are you for real? I could have typed this exact same post with the only difference being that my kidney stone E.R. visits were this year (I had three kidney stones, one of which I’m still trying to pass).God lets us suffer because he loves us.
I had a kidney stone a few years ago and was in tremendous pain. While in the emergency room, I thought not of myself but of the others who were also suffering. Without this pain I never would have the empathy and care I had for these other people. I spent many hours in the ER praying for them.
Many of the Saints have said the true joy is found in suffering. I’ve always regretted that I cannot be that focused on prayer for other as I was that night in the ER. I could feel my love for strangers truly overflowing and wanted to do everything I could for their well being.
That pain was one of God’s greatest gifts to me.
During my second E.R. visit, I was telling my wife that I would love to bring the Eucharist for those stuck in the hospital, or even just visiting and praying with people.
…
Ok, you’re really not going to believe this, but while typing this post I had to go pee really bad… and I just passed the last stone! Talk about wild timing!
I’m gonna go pray now.
D
dronald
Guest
Asaph asked the same type of question in Psalm 73 and one must remember how it ended for those who do evil and those who do good:
I would recommend that you read Psalm 73 carefully and meditate on it a bit. That’s what I do when I feel lost and feel that others are being rewarded much more than I am.
Also, James 5 has a similar tone.
God bless!
I would recommend that you read Psalm 73 carefully and meditate on it a bit. That’s what I do when I feel lost and feel that others are being rewarded much more than I am.
Also, James 5 has a similar tone.
God bless!
F
fisherman_carl
Guest
If the price tag of life is suffering then what is the price tag of love?There is no answer that will fully satisfy. For children I explain it like this.
We are alive. Flowers are alive. Life is beautiful but life comes with a price.
Take a bouquet of beautiful silk flowers. Exquisite and fine. They do not wilt, they do not suffer, they do not die. But, they are not alive. They are not real.
Sure, there is death, suffering and pain. God could have made us like the silk flowers and the world would be a beautiful place but there would be no life.
I will choose life with all its trials and accept the price that must be paid.
I think we need to start with the fact that we suffer rather than asking why would God permit our suffering. Suffering is part of the design of our bodies. Those who are born without the capacity to feel pain tend to die sooner since they do not realize it when they have been injured. We can bring suffering on ourselves. We can receive it from others. Suffering is what mortal bodies do.
Suffering shapes us. St. Paul says suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produces hope.
Many of the Saints who suffered thanked God for their sufferings. One Saint asked God why he permitted her suffering. And God said this is how I treat all my friends. It is suffering that produces Saints. It purifies and through suffering we can learn to love like Christ did. When we are willing to suffer like Christ for God and others we learn how to love.
If God did not exist than suffering would not mean anything since nothing is eternal. But because our hope is in God rather than the things he made our reward is far greater than anything we suffer in this life. Even an athlete is prepared to suffer in order to train and do well in their sport. But suffering for righteousness sake produces eternal rewards.
F
fisherman_carl
Guest
www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/15-things-to-do-in-the-midst-of-suffering
"A few weekends ago, I gave a talk on the meaning of suffering at St. Odelia’s in Shoreview, MN. I ended the talk with fifteen things you can do to ensure that your suffering is not wasted but joined to Christ, thus becoming powerful. I pray that your lent will be an experience unlike any other year and you will come to know the love that is hidden in suffering.
1.Understand that we have been called to participate in the redemption of the world. Col. 1:24; Rom. 8:28
2.Entrust yourself to God. 1 Peter 4:19
3.Unite your will with the will of Christ through prayer. Matthew 26:39
4.Realize that Jesus will not allow you to go through something that you can’t handle. 1 Cor. 10:13
5.Embrace the suffering, conscious of the fact that God’s grace is available, active and effective. 2 Cor. 12:9
6.Go to confession. Focus on eliminating sin, which weakens your relationship with Jesus. Hebrews 12:1
7.Participate on the paten during Mass. Offer you suffering up to God. CCC 1350
8.Avoid illegitimate suffering. Do not draw attention to yourself. Matthew 6:5-6
9.Think of others and offer your suffering for them. 1 Cor. 1:6
10.Actively love by doing what is right according to your vocation. CCC 518,1604
11.Pray the Rosary - Walk the passion of Christ with Our Lady. Concerning the rosary, remember “it beats the rhythm of human life…” Pope John Paul II
12.Study the Saints, many of them suffered and overcame great obstacles. CCC 313, 828, 1195
13.Rejoice that you can share in the redemption of the world. 1 Peter 4:13
14.Keep an eternal perspective. Ecc. 3:11; Matt. 6:19-20; Rom. 8:17
15.Trust God for the fruit of your suffering. 1 Cor. 3:7-8; Heb. 11:26"
"A few weekends ago, I gave a talk on the meaning of suffering at St. Odelia’s in Shoreview, MN. I ended the talk with fifteen things you can do to ensure that your suffering is not wasted but joined to Christ, thus becoming powerful. I pray that your lent will be an experience unlike any other year and you will come to know the love that is hidden in suffering.
1.Understand that we have been called to participate in the redemption of the world. Col. 1:24; Rom. 8:28
2.Entrust yourself to God. 1 Peter 4:19
3.Unite your will with the will of Christ through prayer. Matthew 26:39
4.Realize that Jesus will not allow you to go through something that you can’t handle. 1 Cor. 10:13
5.Embrace the suffering, conscious of the fact that God’s grace is available, active and effective. 2 Cor. 12:9
6.Go to confession. Focus on eliminating sin, which weakens your relationship with Jesus. Hebrews 12:1
7.Participate on the paten during Mass. Offer you suffering up to God. CCC 1350
8.Avoid illegitimate suffering. Do not draw attention to yourself. Matthew 6:5-6
9.Think of others and offer your suffering for them. 1 Cor. 1:6
10.Actively love by doing what is right according to your vocation. CCC 518,1604
11.Pray the Rosary - Walk the passion of Christ with Our Lady. Concerning the rosary, remember “it beats the rhythm of human life…” Pope John Paul II
12.Study the Saints, many of them suffered and overcame great obstacles. CCC 313, 828, 1195
13.Rejoice that you can share in the redemption of the world. 1 Peter 4:13
14.Keep an eternal perspective. Ecc. 3:11; Matt. 6:19-20; Rom. 8:17
15.Trust God for the fruit of your suffering. 1 Cor. 3:7-8; Heb. 11:26"
- Jeff Cavins
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