The problem of good

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The problem of evil has been discussed in great depth, but I don’t see much discussion about the problem of good.

The problem of good goes something like this.

OK, we are required to suffer in life. There is no way around this. Then why does God bless certain people with good things (wealth, health, steady employment, healing, etc.) while others are denied these goods? Why do some people get relief from their sufferings while others don’t?

Many people go to healing services. God heals some, the rest are told no.
Many people pray for good things. Some get yes, some get no as the answer to the prayers.

Scripture says God does not care about race, color, sex, servitude, employment status, rank, status in society, etc. But apparently he does care about something.

The health and wealth Gospel, I reject, as does the Catholic Church. So these people blessed with good things are not necessarily saintly people who levitate while praying their rosaries in Aramaic fourteen times a day. Meanwhile saintly people suffer.

Christ says the cross is mandatory but apparently some people are exempt from this requirement.

This is the problem of good - why does God exempt some people from the cross? How is this not capricious and arbitrary?
 
BobCatholic said:
The problem of evil has been discussed in great depth, but I don’t see much discussion about the problem of good.

The problem of good goes something like this.

OK, we are required to suffer in life. There is no way around this. Then why does God bless certain people with good things (wealth, health, steady employment, healing, etc.) while others are denied these goods? Why do some people get relief from their sufferings while others don’t?

Many people go to healing services. God heals some, the rest are told no.
Many people pray for good things. Some get yes, some get no as the answer to the prayers.

Scripture says God does not care about race, color, sex, servitude, employment status, rank, status in society, etc. But apparently he does care about something.

The health and wealth Gospel, I reject, as does the Catholic Church. So these people blessed with good things are not necessarily saintly people who levitate while praying their rosaries in Aramaic fourteen times a day. Meanwhile saintly people suffer.

Christ says the cross is mandatory but apparently some people are exempt from this requirement.

This is the problem of good - why does God exempt some people from the cross? How is this not capricious and arbitrary?
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Who, specifically has been exempted from the cross? I know of no one. Even Mary, the Mother of God, who was sinless, suffered.
 
davidv said:
Who, specifically has been exempted from the cross? I know of no one. Even Mary, the Mother of God, who was sinless, suffered.
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Those who get their prayers answered with a yes.

Examples I used in my original post:
Someone out of work finally lands a steady job. Someone gets their child healed at a healing service.

Congratulations! You are now exempt from carrying that cross.
 
BobCatholic said:
Those who get their prayers answered with a yes.

Examples I used in my original post:
Someone out of work finally lands a steady job. Someone gets their child healed at a healing service.

Congratulations! You are now exempt from carrying that cross.
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I lost my job 14 months ago. I found a new one 3 months later. I still suffer. So it seems you have it wrong.
 
davidv said:
I lost my job 14 months ago. I found a new one 3 months later. I still suffer. So it seems you have it wrong.
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And what about those who prayed for a steady job and can’t get one (like me)?

You’re exempt from that cross. I’m not.

That’s the problem of good I’m talking about.
 
BobCatholic said:
The problem of evil has been discussed in great depth, but I don’t see much discussion about the problem of good.

The problem of good goes something like this.

OK, we are required to suffer in life. There is no way around this. Then why does God bless certain people with good things (wealth, health, steady employment, healing, etc.) while others are denied these goods? Why do some people get relief from their sufferings while others don’t?

Many people go to healing services. God heals some, the rest are told no.
Many people pray for good things. Some get yes, some get no as the answer to the prayers.

Scripture says God does not care about race, color, sex, servitude, employment status, rank, status in society, etc. But apparently he does care about something.

The health and wealth Gospel, I reject, as does the Catholic Church. So these people blessed with good things are not necessarily saintly people who levitate while praying their rosaries in Aramaic fourteen times a day. Meanwhile saintly people suffer.

Christ says the cross is mandatory but apparently some people are exempt from this requirement.

This is the problem of good - why does God exempt some people from the cross? How is this not capricious and arbitrary?
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So you are saying that God is unjust. Why do you keep faith on God?
 
BobCatholic said:
Those who get their prayers answered with a yes.

Examples I used in my original post:
Someone out of work finally lands a steady job. Someone gets their child healed at a healing service.

Congratulations! You are now exempt from carrying that cross.
Click to expand...
Let me get this straight. Someone prays for their child and the child is cured. You pray for a job and you are still out of work. And you are ticked off because, hey, the system seems not to be working…

I guess it does seem unfair. You put in as much prayer time as the mother probably did so how come the kid gets better and God simply ignores you?

I dunno…maybe pray for sick kids instead of yourself and see what happens. What can you lose.
 
BobCatholic said:
The problem of evil has been discussed in great depth, but I don’t see much discussion about the problem of good.

The problem of good goes something like this.

OK, we are required to suffer in life. There is no way around this. Then why does God bless certain people with good things (wealth, health, steady employment, healing, etc.) while others are denied these goods? Why do some people get relief from their sufferings while others don’t?

Many people go to healing services. God heals some, the rest are told no.
Many people pray for good things. Some get yes, some get no as the answer to the prayers.

Scripture says God does not care about race, color, sex, servitude, employment status, rank, status in society, etc. But apparently he does care about something.

The health and wealth Gospel, I reject, as does the Catholic Church. So these people blessed with good things are not necessarily saintly people who levitate while praying their rosaries in Aramaic fourteen times a day. Meanwhile saintly people suffer.

Christ says the cross is mandatory but apparently some people are exempt from this requirement.

This is the problem of good - why does God exempt some people from the cross? How is this not capricious and arbitrary?
Click to expand...
God does not (per se) desire physical evil. for example, suffering, illness, death, that is not for the sake of the evil or as an aim. Wisdom I, 13 et seq.:

For God has not made death: neither hath He pleasure in the destruction of the living For He created all things that they nlight be."

However, God wills physical evil, natural evil as well as punitive evil, per accidens that is, as a means to a higher end of the physical order (for example, for the acquisition of a higher life), or of the moral order (for example, for punishment or for moral enlightenment).

Ecclus. I I, 14: “Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches are from God.”
Cf Ecclus. 39, 35 et seq.; Am. 3, 6.

Reference: Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Ludwig Ott, p. 45-46
 
As Fr. Henry Wansbrough eloquently puts it in his notes to the Book of Job, this “problem” is a problem only if we consider that this life is the only one. As Saint Paul reminds us, the sufferings of this world are negligible considering the glories of the world to come.

Or, if you prefer Dickens, “there is another world that sets this one right.” (Bleak House)
 
Bob is this the glass half empty or half full scenario.

True story. You are Aussie right? Wye River bushfire on Christmas Day a couple of years ago. Much of one of the communities was in Christmas Day mass, while the fire was building and burning.

Were they all fortunate to be in one place ?
 
God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.
Help us, who are alone and have no help but you,
for we are taking our life in our hand.
As a child we used to hear from the books of our forefathers
that you, O ‘I AM’, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help us, who are alone and have no one but you, O ‘I AM’, our Father,
Open Bob’s eyes to find work where you place it for him.
Then let him discontinue his complaint like we complained wandering in the wilderness forty years so he might bless you instead of curse you.
Or open his eyes to see you, O ‘I AM’ as merciful even before he finds consolation, and bless your Name instead of cursing.
 
I still have a very special holy card that I received many years ago. It was written by Father John Tauler,
O.P., now deceased.

Here it is:

The Privilege of Suffering…

“We eat God when we communicate and God eats us when we suffer; that is He transforms us into Himself… Temptations and sufferings are as necessary to man as grace… No trial ever comes to us that has not been foreseen from all eternity by the Heart of Jesus; and God gives Himself as truly to us in suffering as in the Holy Eucharist. (Why do we not obtain as many graces in suffering as in Holy Communion? Because we take them as sufferings, and not as a gift from our Best Friend…) When God gives us the signal favor of bearing within us, for love of Him, the vesture of suffering, it is a certain sign that He Loves us…”

Peace in Jesus and Mary,

Dorothy
 
RomanoAmerio said:
As Fr. Henry Wansbrough eloquently puts it in his notes to the Book of Job, this “problem” is a problem only if we consider that this life is the only one. As Saint Paul reminds us, the sufferings of this world are negligible considering the glories of the world to come.

Or, if you prefer Dickens, “there is another world that sets this one right.” (Bleak House)
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+1
 
I experienced about a decade of physical suffering that took a toll on my self, my kids and my marriage. Oh, and I’ve been away from a profession that I worked really hard to be a part of that whole time, and am having some trouble in returning to it still. I had in the past been too involved with work.

I look back during that mostly uncomfortable and often miserable time, and I saw how close God was to me. Many times I felt alone. I prayed a lot and I prayed for others more than I had before. Bad companions left. I read and listened to a lot of faith building media, like CAF and Gilbert!. In some ways I am glad that that time wasn’t wasted. I still could have taken better advantage of it if I had known at the outset. But, difficult times can be a blessing in disguise if you don’t listen to the Worlds opinion.

Bob, you are in my prayers to find not only suitable work, but work you can bless your coworkers and clients with your service no matter what it is you are skilled at doing.

St. Joseph and St. Robert Bellarmine please pray for us!

St. Robert a doctor for what ails you, catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=101
 
You said, “God cares about something” and you are right, God cares about your soul. While He may allow things to happen and prevent other things from happening everything He does is for the good of the persons soul.
 
Today’s gospel touches on this -

Jesus is very clear that when we ask, we will receive when we seek we will find and when we knock the door will be opened to you. But is that your experience?
Some times we can ask and ask and beg and it appears that our prayers go unanswered. So what does Jesus mean when he says to ask seek knock and we will receive.
The key to understanding this exhortation from our Lord is that , as the scriptures states, through our prayer God will give “good things to those who ask”. He promises that which is truly good and good, in particular , for our eternal salvation.

This begs the question " then how do I pray and what do i pray for?" Ideally every prayer of intercession we utter should be for the lords will to be done , nothing more and nothing less. Only his perfect will.

That can be harder to pray for then one might first expect. Too often we tend to pray that " my will be done" rather than "thy will be done’. but if we can trust and trust on a profound level , that God’s will is perfect and provides us with all good things then seeking his will asking for it and knocking at the door of his heart will produce an abundance of grace as God desires to bestow it.

Reflect today upon the way you pray. Try to change your prayer that it seeks the good things God wants to bestow rather than the many things you want God to bestow. It may be hard at first to detach from your own ideas and your own will but in the end you will be blessed with many good things from God.

Prayer:
Lord I do pray that your will be done in all things. I desire to surrender to you above all, and to trust in your perfect plan . help me dear Lord to abandon my own ideas and desire and seek your will always.
Jesus I trust in you!

Catholic daily reflection on today’s Gospel
 
From a Letter of Saint Raymond of Penyafort (1175-1275)
May you never be numbered among those whose house is peaceful, quiet and free from care; those on who the Lord’s chastisement does not descend; those who live out their days in prosperity, and in the twinkling of an eye will go down to hell.
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Your purity of life, your devotion, deserve and call for a reward; because you are acceptable and pleasing to God your purity of life must be made purer still, by frequent buffetings, until you attain perfect sincerity of heart. If from time to time you feel the sword falling on you with double or treble force, this also should be seen as sheer joy and the mark of love.
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St Raymond - pray for us!
 
I will also add God is not a wishing well - he does not promise houses cars and girlfriends. He offers grace to those who ask for it - for his will not ours.

Gods promise - Jesus says believe in me repent do unto others as you would have them do to you.and you will have eternal life - thats our goal and thats his promise everything else on this earth is dirt and will return to dirt - do you desire dirt or do you desire eternal life with God? Most people choose the pile of dirt.
 
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