Bad things to good people

Why did terrible things happen to Job? Why do bad things happen to good people? That is the question at the heart of the book of Job.

In today’s reading we have the essential answer:

There is no answer.

God’s response seems to be “Who are you to question me?”

On a deeper level, however, the meaning is perfectly obvious and simple, although not easy.

We human beings are very smart and very capable, but we have limits. Indeed, the extent of our powers is quite small even in comparison to the physical forces that pervade the planet on which we live (let alone the universe we inhabit). Limited too is the extent of our knowledge (and even more so our wisdom).

Adolescent creatures that we are, we are often frustrated by these limitations. We want to do everything. We want to understand everything.

Some people let these frustrations take control and have intellectual temper tantrums: If I can’t understand the reason, there must not be any reason! If I can’t figure out how an All-Good, All-Powerful God can let innocent people suffer (especially children), that must mean there is no God or that God isn’t really Almighty (which is the same thing)!

Such foolish arrogance would be laughable, if it were not for the reality of the suffering that may have led to such mistaken conclusions.

There can be many reasons why bad things happen to good people. Sometimes the reasons are easy to see, sometimes the causes require much thought and investigation, and sometimes the reasons are more than we can understand in the time we have on this earth and thus can only be discovered in Eternity.

In part, that is the real answer God is giving Job: there are some things beyond your grasp, but I am God and I am holding you even when you do not understand.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ reaffirmed this answer most perfectly in his passion, death and resurrection. He is with us. He is with us in our sufferings. He is with us in our darkness. And he opens for us the doors of heaven, where all suffering will be turned into glorious joy and the greatest of Answers will be known when we see God face to face.

For now, we find an answer to the question of suffering in faith. We may continue to suffer. We may continue to question and to struggle for answers, but if we continue to cultivate our relationship with Christ, through a lived faith and by his grace, we will have all the answers we need and more in time and in Eternity.