What’s so bad about suffering anyway?

“If God exists then why is there suffering in the world?”

You’ve probably heard this argument about as many times as I have – too many to count. If you’ve done your research or been ’round the block a few times, you’ll know that the answer lies in free will. That’s not what I want to talk about today, though. What I want to explore is the fact that many cannot see compassion or mercy of a loving God in pain and suffering.

God loves us too much to leave us as we are. Think over your life – how many of those rocky paths that you’ve encountered brought you out on the other side as being stronger, wiser, or better equipped to face the world?

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

And in this suffering, how many times have you leant on God to get you through? Isn’t it when you are in that deep, dark place that you run into His arms? When you have nothing left and have no choice but to turn to Him?

“Therefore, I will allure her now; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” (Hosea 2:16)

Pain and suffering is proof of a loving God. Take a bushfire as example:

It allows us to act with compassion

It draws us nearer to one another and to God

It give us the chance to start over

Granted, suffering is anything but comfortable. I doubt that these people would have openly welcomed it into their life:

But I choose to see hope in the midst: that eventually everything will be okay – whether in this life or the next. To which horizon do you set your eyes?

Further info:

• Catechism of the Catholic Church: Sickness
• Catholic Answers: How can we recognise God’s love in suffering?
• The Catholic Stand: Why does God let bad things happen?
• Fr Henri Morice: Why bad things happen to good Catholics