Year of Faith, Year of Calamities

Why cannot some Catholics accept the Church’s answers and teaching? Why is their faith getting weaker? These were the questions I asked in the last paragraph of my column in the past week’s issue of Catholic Herald.

Most of the complaints and questions against God in times of calamities which make people suffer and die are about His love and care and power. They say these are non-existent concluding that therefore that He does not exist after all. If He really exists He would not have allowed such things to happen. From the purely human point of view the questions are legitimate. True love cares and saves, power should be used for it.

“If He loves and cares, and is powerful, He would have prevented these tragedies to happen.” And questions of similar tone.

In situation like this we have to say that for those who have no faith or whose faith is weak NO EXPLANATION IS POSSIBLE. And for those who have faith and this faith is strong NO EXPLANATION IS NECESSARY.

What I write here is about the deeper reason behind those questions in order to understand the questioner who can be myself or another.

Like the questioner and many of the same mentality I too have been afraid of being rejected, abandoned, ignored, etc. Loneliness can make one crazy or commit suicide. I need to be loved and cared for. We were made to love and to be loved. We are millions on this matter.

But my faith, even if it is not very strong, reminds me that there is One who loves me and cares for me even. if everyone else does not. This One cannot be seen, is a spirit, and only through my spirit, not my mind, can I relate to Him and experience Him. This is what I call faith life, my inner life.

My outer life is body and other-oriented. Here like everyone else I have many needs and many concerns. I struggle to address them to keep my body and social health. Because these are daily and at times difficult they occupy most of my waking moments. I am afraid when I fail in this struggle. Because if this happens, a terrible fear takes possession of me.

Yes, I too am afraid to die even if my faith tells me my soul, the real me, doesn’t age and doesn’t die. And so I too worry much, a sign of weak faith.
All these fears of rejection, failure and death are compounded by physical calamities, stifling out my spiritual life,, numbing my conscience, eroding away the little faith I have, and shutting out my awareness of God.

So like others when calamities strike and I can no longer pray because of intense fears I lament and cry out, “My God, where are you? Don’t you know I’m suffering? Do you really love me? If you are really powerful, save me! (To be continued).