THE consoling thought is that we already know what the worst
evil is
that can happen to us. There can be nothing worse to expect them.
More, this worst evil is already not only resolved but also made to
occasion the greatest good that we can have.
So let’s not worry more than what is necessary. We are not into a
completely unknown territory. Everything is somehow defined, though
the details—the part we play—is still subject to how we use our
freedom which can go any which way.
The worst evil is, of course, the murder of God in Jesus on the
cross. As the Catechism says it, “From the greatest moral evil ever
committed—the rejection and murder of God’s only Son, caused by the
sins of all men—God, by his grace that abounded all the more, brought
the greatest of goods: the glorification of Christ and our
redemption.” (312)
We need to relish this truth of our faith if only to guide us on how
to view the evil that can come to us in many forms. First, we have to
distinguish between moral evil and physical evil. Moral evil is sin,
that wilful offense against God, that is much worse than physical
evil, like storms, earthquakes, etc., that simply are expressions of
the limitations of nature but are not an offense against God.
Besides, we have to understand also why evil is allowed to happen to
us. If there is God, and if he is supposed to be all good, then why is
there evil in the world? Why does he allow evil to come to us? Could
he not have created a world where there is no evil?
The Catechism, the systematic summary of our faith through which we
have to view these issues, offers us the answers. Let’s go through
them slowly, because it’s important that we have a clear idea of why
evil exists in the world.
Point 309: “If God the Father almighty, the Creator of the ordered
and good world, cares for all his creatures, why does evil exists? To
this question, as pressing as it is unavoidable and as painful as it
is mysterious, no quick answer will suffice. Only Christian faith as a
whole constitutes the answer to this question:
“The goodness of creation, the drama of sin and the patient love of
God who comes to meet man by his covenants, the redemptive Incarnation
of his Son, his gift of the Spirit, his gathering of the Church, the
power of the sacraments and his call to a blessed life to which free
creatures are invited to consent in advance, but from which, by a
terrible mystery, they can also turn away in advance.”
Point 310: “But why did God not create a world so perfect that no
evil could exist in it? With infinite power God could always create
something better. But 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
destructive forces of nature. With physical good there exists also
physical evil as long as creation has not reached perfection”
Point 311: “Angels and men, as intelligent and free creatures, have
to journey toward their ultimate destinies by their free choice and
preferential love. They can therefore go astray. Indeed, they have
sinned.
“Thus has moral evil, incommensurably more harmful than physical
evil, entered the world. God is in no way, directly or indirectly, the
cause of moral evil. He permits it, however, because he respects the
freedom of his creatures and mysteriously, knows how to derive good
from it.”
It’s important that we know at least the fundamentals about the
question of evil so we would know how to behave toward it. With
physical evil, we just have to bear with it. But even if it can be
destructive and devastating to us, its effect can only be physical for
as long as we keep our spiritual life intact.
It’s with moral evil that we have to be more wary about. That’s where
we are its creator. Its effects are far graver than those of physical
evil. It destroys us spiritually.
Yet, as we are taught by our faith, Christ has shown us how to handle
evil. It is to die with him to be able to rise with him too. More on
this in later columns.
that can happen to us. There can be nothing worse to expect them.
More, this worst evil is already not only resolved but also made to
occasion the greatest good that we can have.
So let’s not worry more than what is necessary. We are not into a
completely unknown territory. Everything is somehow defined, though
the details—the part we play—is still subject to how we use our
freedom which can go any which way.
The worst evil is, of course, the murder of God in Jesus on the
cross. As the Catechism says it, “From the greatest moral evil ever
committed—the rejection and murder of God’s only Son, caused by the
sins of all men—God, by his grace that abounded all the more, brought
the greatest of goods: the glorification of Christ and our
redemption.” (312)
We need to relish this truth of our faith if only to guide us on how
to view the evil that can come to us in many forms. First, we have to
distinguish between moral evil and physical evil. Moral evil is sin,
that wilful offense against God, that is much worse than physical
evil, like storms, earthquakes, etc., that simply are expressions of
the limitations of nature but are not an offense against God.
Besides, we have to understand also why evil is allowed to happen to
us. If there is God, and if he is supposed to be all good, then why is
there evil in the world? Why does he allow evil to come to us? Could
he not have created a world where there is no evil?
The Catechism, the systematic summary of our faith through which we
have to view these issues, offers us the answers. Let’s go through
them slowly, because it’s important that we have a clear idea of why
evil exists in the world.
Point 309: “If God the Father almighty, the Creator of the ordered
and good world, cares for all his creatures, why does evil exists? To
this question, as pressing as it is unavoidable and as painful as it
is mysterious, no quick answer will suffice. Only Christian faith as a
whole constitutes the answer to this question:
“The goodness of creation, the drama of sin and the patient love of
God who comes to meet man by his covenants, the redemptive Incarnation
of his Son, his gift of the Spirit, his gathering of the Church, the
power of the sacraments and his call to a blessed life to which free
creatures are invited to consent in advance, but from which, by a
terrible mystery, they can also turn away in advance.”
Point 310: “But why did God not create a world so perfect that no
evil could exist in it? With infinite power God could always create
something better. But 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
destructive forces of nature. With physical good there exists also
physical evil as long as creation has not reached perfection”
Point 311: “Angels and men, as intelligent and free creatures, have
to journey toward their ultimate destinies by their free choice and
preferential love. They can therefore go astray. Indeed, they have
sinned.
“Thus has moral evil, incommensurably more harmful than physical
evil, entered the world. God is in no way, directly or indirectly, the
cause of moral evil. He permits it, however, because he respects the
freedom of his creatures and mysteriously, knows how to derive good
from it.”
It’s important that we know at least the fundamentals about the
question of evil so we would know how to behave toward it. With
physical evil, we just have to bear with it. But even if it can be
destructive and devastating to us, its effect can only be physical for
as long as we keep our spiritual life intact.
It’s with moral evil that we have to be more wary about. That’s where
we are its creator. Its effects are far graver than those of physical
evil. It destroys us spiritually.
Yet, as we are taught by our faith, Christ has shown us how to handle
evil. It is to die with him to be able to rise with him too. More on
this in later columns.
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