Why does God allow\nevil to exist? Some of us might have asked this question over the last several\nweeks. Why does God allow babies to be born blind? Or wicked men to prevail? Or\ndeadly viruses to sweep the globe and envelop it in chaos? Is it because of our\nwickedness? Is it because we have sinned against God? Perhaps, or perhaps not.\nWhen it comes down to it, we do not know why evil is allowed to exist. But, one\nthing that we do know is this: all\nthings work together for good for those who love God\u201d (Romans 8:28). Or\nas today\u2019s gospel relates, \u201che was\nborn blind so that God\u2019s works might be revealed in him\u201d (Jn 9:4). In\nother words, while we do not know why God allows evil to exist, we do know that\nGod turns all things \u2013 even evil \u2013 towards his purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today\u2019s gospel\nrecounts the healing of a man born blind. Jesus encounters a blind man, covers\nthe blind man\u2019s eyes with mud and saliva and instructs the blind man to wash in\nthe pool of Siloam. The man follows Jesus\u2019 instructions and his sight is\nrestored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe was born blind so that God\u2019s works might be revealed in him\u201d. What then are the\nworks of God? Is it the miraculous healing of the blind man? Or is it something\ndeeper? Jesus\u2019 divinity was partly revealed by his miraculous healing. However,\nthe blind man did not actually recognize Jesus as the Son of Man immediately.\nWhen questioned by the Pharisees, the man stated that Jesus is a prophet (Jn\n9:17). Only when he was asked directly by Jesus \u201cDo you believe in the Son of Man?\u201d, was he able to say \u201cLord, I believe\u201d (Jn 9:35). Thus,\nthe works of God are not primarily physical miracles, but is rather the gift of\nfaith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God, therefore,\nuses times of evil to increase our faith. Whenever we go through a trial, we\nare tested. Our commitment to our final goal is questioned. Is the prize worth\nthe pain? The entire world is being tested right now by the Coronavirus. We do\nnot know why God has allowed for this virus to spread. But we do know that the\nCoronavirus is a time of testing. Will we keep the faith, and thereby allow the\nworks of God to be perfected in us? Or will we doubt the goodness of God?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is it\nimportant to remember that faith is not an empty concept. Rather, faith directs\nus towards hope. As Christians, our hope cannot ultimately be in the things of\nthis world. \u201cFor all flesh is as\ngrass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass wither, and\nthe flower thereof falls away\u201d (1 Pt 1:24). If we put our hope in flesh,\nour hope will fade along with our flesh. Instead, we must put our hope, like\nthe blind man, in the Son of Man. Only in Jesus is our hope secure. Only in his\nkingdom will our faith be rewarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, during this\ntime of testing, we must not waiver in our faith. We must not doubt the\ngoodness of God. Instead, we must look forward to our one lasting hope \u2013 which\nis Christ himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ian Mahood <\/strong>\u2013 St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fot. Jordan Whitfield\/Unsplash.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 4th Sunday of Lent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,8,17,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bez-kategorii","category-blog","category-strona-glowna-najnowsze","category-strona-glowna-slider"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n