What can I say to one who has lost her faith?

[Mary921m]

I have a friend that seems to have lost her faith. She and I have discussions on religion almost every day. The killer question today was “How can a good, kind and loving God allow babies to die, disease, famine among other devistating things?” I was so shocked by the question I could not come up with an intelligent response. Can anyone please give me something to tell this girl. She will not talk to my priest or her preacher (she is Southern Baptist, When she goes to church).
She is having a really hard time with everything from finding a job, working out her marriage. Just handling life in general. Thank you for helping me with this delima,

MaryM
Mary921m@aol.com

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi Mary,

Your friend is making a very common mistake. She is thinking of God as a bigger version of herself. If she did such things, she would be unkind and unloving. But God is not just a bigger version of us. He thought us up and is giving us existence at this very moment. No one is paying Him. He certainly has a right to call us home any time He chooses and any way He chooses. He alone sees the whole picture. With our limited minds, we can’t even begin to grasp all that He is. We are pretty small potatoes to be passing judgment on Him.

Even though we are not able to grasp all that He is, He has given us a handle by which we can understand to some degree. We all understand what suffering is. So by reflecting on all the He freely chose to endure on our behalf, we behold something of just who He is. On Good Friday He revealed more about Himself than anywhere else. The more she reflects on Good Friday, the fewer questions she will have—and she will be at peace.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.