By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo
Some would become atheists because they could not reconcile how can a good God allow evil to happen and especially evil happening to innocent people such as a young child getting cancer. It is not true that the Catholic Church has no answer to explain why evil happens in this world. The “problem of evil” as philosophers would call it, is all about why evil happens in this world, or why evil happens to good people or why does a good God allow evil, is already tackled in Scripture through the Book of Job.
And the great misfortune of Job was something allowed by God through the devil as we read in Scripture. “One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, ‘The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, ‘The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, ‘The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’ While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, ‘Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship.” (Job 1:13-20) I suggest you read the entire book of Job for better appreciation of the story.
Job, a figure of Christ, was an innocent and just person who was made to suffer for an apparently unjust cause. Job complained to God in the book, that God is unfair in making Him suffer. Of course, Job does know the whole story of why He was made to suffer horribly as a testing for his worthiness of God’s rewards, facilitated through the workings and temptations of the devil. It is a lesson for all us. We don’t have the big picture of God’s plan for us, and sometimes He allows something “evil” to happen to us such as sickness, loss of a job, disasters through natural calamities, death of loved ones, etc. all for our own good, especially spiritual good and for us to deserve our heavenly rewards.
We can partially get to know why evil happens in this world but not fully. All the ideal things that we want to accomplish in this life for instance, necessarily requires some hardship or suffering on our part, such as acquiring a college degree, getting promoted in one’s job, winning in a contest, etc. There are also pains that are self-inflicted such as getting into a vice and suffering the consequences of it, such as acquiring a disease because of alcohol or drugs, breaking up of a marriage because of infidelity, or landing behind bars because of graft and corruption. The evil being questioned in the Book of Job is evil heaped on the innocent and just persons.
God’s answer to Job in the book was “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4) which basically means we as a humans would not be capable of understanding all that happens in this world because there are knowledges that only God can know such as the past, the present and the future and the intricate overall interactions of all events to each person around the world. That knowledge can only be known in the next life. In the book, Job questions God, but ended up being questioned by God much like Christ would throw back a question to his accusers (the Pharisees and the Sadducees) because He is God, our Maker. He is the questioner (because He is perfect) and not the one who gets questioned. We will not fully understand bad things happening to good people in the same way that a dog would not be able to read or understand a book. If God had answered directly the questions of Job on why he is suffering, Job would just come up with more questions and end up more troubled, and less trusting. God’s solution in the book was to let Job see His face, and Job ended up being satisfied. Dr. Peter Kreeft would say, “Instead of answers. Job got the Answerer. Instead of words. Job got the Word.” In heaven, we will all be fully satisfied with what God did for us because we will find out it was all for our own good that leads to our true happiness. That’s why faith (trust) in God is important. “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)
