DAY 7
CHALLENGE
“Why would a good God allow physical evils like suffering and death?”
DEFENSE
We don’t have full answers to the problem of evil in this life, but we can see that at least some physical evils are helpful.
God can tolerate some physical evils because good comes from them. According to John Paul II: “Certain forms of physical ‘evil’ . . . belong to the very structure of created beings, which by their nature are con- tingent and passing, and therefore corruptible. Besides, we know that material beings are in a close relation of interdependence as expressed by the old saying: ‘the death of one is the life of another.’ So then, in a certain sense death serves life” (General Audience, June 4, 1986).
We see this in the natural world, such as when a lion kills a zebra so that it can eat. The death of the zebra serves the life of the lion. In the same way, the living things we humans eat (whether plants or animals) sustain our lives.
The Catechism says:
With infinite wisdom and goodness God freely willed to create a world “in a state of journeying” towards its ultimate perfection. In God’s plan this process of becoming involves the appearance of certain beings and the disappearance of others, the existence of the more perfect alongside the less perfect, both constructive and de- structive forces of nature. With physical good there exists also phys- ical evil as long as creation has not reached perfection (CCC 310).
Pain can also play a valuable role in our lives. Some people suffer from congenital insensitivity to pain, and its results can be dramatic, even fatal. Physical pain serves as a warning system, and people with- out a proper pain response can be severely injured or killed. Even emotional pain can be useful. The emotion of fear alerts us to danger and motivates us to take steps to avoid it.
TIP
Although some suffering plays a valuable role in the present life, this doesn’t exhaust the problem of evil. Unlike the above examples, some suffering serves no obvious purpose (see the question for Day 38). The above answer, however, provides a partial explanation of why God tolerates some suffering and how he brings good out of it.