Hey guys! Ferran here. I'm a senior, working hard to become a Godly man. The St. John Bosco Parish Life Teen Youth Group recently attended a retreat on the campus of Franciscan University in Steubenville Ohio. It was an emotional, passionate, and energetic totally Catholic experience, and I have returned with a refreshed commitment and excitement for the Catholic faith. Of the sessions we attended at the conference, my favorite was the session entitled, "God is in Suffering." It addressed the question, "Why does a loving God allow suffering in the world?" The speaker, Fr. Rick Martignetti, had such insight and I wanted to share some of the things he said.
Q: Why would a loving God allow suffering in the world?
A: God gave us free will to choose good or evil. Suffering often comes as a direct result of our evil choice.
The speaker used an analogy to explain this idea. Say there is someone who doesn't believe that there is gravity. He publicly announces to the world that gravity doesn't exist. He climbs a tree and shouts from the tree tops the message. He walks across a thin branch, the branch breaks, and because of gravity, he falls and hurts himself. According to this analogy, gravity represents God's law. It doesn't matter whether an individual thinks it doesn't exist, refuses to believe it, or publicly announces his skepticism. The law is still there. When the individual chooses to go against the law (i.e. walking on a thin branch), as a natural occurrence, he suffers (i.e. the branch falls). God did not cause the suffering. Suffering naturally happens because evil choices are contrary to truth and perfect happiness.
Q: Why then do innocent people suffer?
A: Innocent people suffer as a result of "social sin."
Again, God gave us free will to choose good or evil. According to this idea of "social sin," every person's sin affects everyone else. If one person sins, it causes others to suffer. For example, consider the Nazi's and the Jewish Holocaust. As a result of the Nazis' sins, the innocent Jews suffered.
Some Final Thoughts
Suffering happens because we have free will to choose good and evil. In addition, sometimes God chooses to allow suffering because of how it might benefit us. Suffering teaches us empathy and gives us the opportunity to show mercy to others because we understand what they're going through. Also, if you can make suffering meaningful, then you can endure anything. For example, you see how your suffering allows others to care for you, gives you the time to pray, helps you appreciate your life and recognize the blessings you've received. I would like to conclude by sharing another analogy that I thought was particularly amazing.
Suffering is like the a furnace used to refine silver. A smith, in order to perfect silver, will put it in a furnace to burn away impurities. He doesn't burn the silver too long or else the piece will be ruined. How does he know when the piece of silver is perfect? The answer is when he can see his own reflection in it. God is the smith, we are pieces of silver, and through suffering, a process of refinement, we will be perfected in God's image.
Ferran
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