Evil and Suffering review of John Paul II

"To this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have suffer various trials, so the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire..."
Peter 1:6-7

This text points out "predestination" in Christ of the created world and how the theme of the relation of divine providence & reality of evil and suffering

The principle is hard to accept , it is even more difficult to accept when one accuses God because of evil and suffering, but we must somehow accept the divine providence.

It is clear from the pages of sacred scriptures, the bible, shows the vision of reality of evil and suffering.  However through the gospels the good news, their is adequate method to find response to the question of evil and suffering in the world, it is to seek it in the context of revelation offered by word of God.

Lets be clear about evil, it is multi form.  It can be distinguished in a physical sense, from that in the moral sense.

Moral evil is distinguished from the physical evil, first of all because it implied guilt, it depends on free will and always an evil of spiritual nature.

It is distinguished from physical evil because the latter does not directly include mans will even thought it does not mean cannot be caused by man of result from his fault.  At times its result of ignorance, this is sometimes related to natural disaster, bodily and physical disability and sickness

 Though these forms of evil, suffering is engendered in human beings, human suffering can be interiorized known and experienced in the whole dimension of ones being.

Sometimes it constitute a complaint , challenge and cry of rejection of God and his providence, thus questions can be summed up; Does God not will evil?  And if he does, can we believe God is love?

In the old testament we can look at Job.The old testament bears witness to primary of wisdom and goodness of God, the bank of job outlines and develops an attitude dedicated to the theme of evil and suffering seen as a tremendous trial for the just overcome by certainty , laboriously acquired , that God is good.

In all of this, we can be consoled with definitive light can come to us, only the victory of cross from Christ can do this

General audience June 4, 1986