Saints LightWhy Does God Allow Suffering?
God permits suffering because he made a free and ordered world, he can bring good even out of evil, and in Jesus he suffered with us and promises to wipe every tear away.
What this lesson teaches
- The Church admits there is no quick answer; only the whole Christian faith answers the problem of evil.
- Much suffering comes from the misuse of freedom, which God permits because love must be free.
- God can draw good out of evil, as he did supremely at the Cross, without making evil good.
- In Christ, God entered our suffering and promises to end it.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 309-314
- CCC 324
- CCC 1521
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Revelation 21:4 (Apocalypse 21:4 in Douay-Rheims).
A sample question from this lesson
According to the lesson, why does God permit moral evil?
- Because he enjoys testing people
- Because he cannot stop it
- Because he respects the freedom that makes real love possible
- Because suffering is good in itself
Show the answer
Because he respects the freedom that makes real love possible. Moral evil comes from free creatures choosing badly; God permits it rather than remove the freedom that love requires (CCC 311).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
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"Why Does God Allow Suffering?" is lesson 2 of Answers to Hard Questions. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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