All a person could do is to explain that God is not a genie in bottle who exists only to make our lives "happy", or to "fix" things; and also to explain free will, how bad things can happen to us because other people sin, and that God does not step in to stop others from sinning because he endowed human beings with free will and expects them to do the right thing.

Children are not the only ones who think, "If God loved me He would not have let ________ happen."  I've heard those very words from adults too.

As the Blessed Mother said to St. Bernadette, "I cannot promise you happiness in this life, only in the next."

Not for a very, very long time.



Snip from a sermon given by Fr. Wathen:

...Let us start with these principles my dear people and these must never be out of our minds. No matter what the prevailing sentiment or mood of society, no matter where one is, one must always be convinced of these principles.

The first of which is almighty God is a main participant in all things that happen. No matter how invisible or imperceptible, almighty God is active in the lives of all individuals at all times and He is a participant in the events that occur. From our point of view things may seem to be accidental, or coincidental, or altogether unpredictable, but God, despite all appearances, is the Master of His world, He has His hand in all things.

Further, all that He does, the reason He is such a participant, is that He has in mind the salvation of souls. That is His chief motive and all that He does has that as the chief purpose, to save souls.

And in the life of each one of us, we must be convinced that God is always active and His activity, no matter, again, how altogether imperceptible, or deniable, or questionable, or seemingly unreasonable, His activity has to do with converting us to Himself for our salvation's sake.

We have to accept this even if the world has turned totally pagan and even if we may turn away from Him and give Him no regard, even if we or anyone else is totally unscrupulous, totally unconcerned about one's soul, almighty God is never unconcerned and never inactive with regard to the salvation of souls. This is His total concern comparatively speaking...

Do you sometimes feel God does NOT care about you?

Never rosary 90, for God has always been good to me and mine. And when things go wrong I never blame God. He allows everything for good.

But when it comes to those caught up in war, abuse, torture, imprisonment, sickness and death of all bad kinds other than a natural one, and the things you mention, only my faith prevents me from thinking He does not care, or that he should care enough to make things right or not as bad. As Catholics we know one thought would suffice to eliminate all sadness. But Adam and Eve made a bags of it for us, not God.

In Fr's sermon He says God allows it all to save souls. Certainly among Catholics whose souls can be saved. But doesn't our faith teach 'no salvation outside the Church?' There are those in the Church who believe this eliminates all outside the Church. Others believe through the Catholic Church those not baptised who are ignorant but live by the natural law might be saved through Catholic prayer. Surely here lies a problem as regards allowing everything nasty to be tolerated for the saving of souls.

You can see then your question takes on another dimention. And that is why God is a mystery when it comes to these things. We also read that God, as He did by flooding the whole earth and all on  it bar eight people, said mankind had rejected Him so much He would leave us to our human fate without His intercession just to show us how rotten the people of the world had gone.

Oh rosary 69, I have for years pondered on these things, how God allowed Islam to conquer all those Christian lands, how he allowed the French Revolution, the elimination of ruling Christian Kings on Earth, the cruelty of man to spouses and children. I say if I were God I would get those ISIS killers and hurl them straight into hell. But He doesn't. We could go on for near eternity.

And that is why I can only fall back on my Catholic faith and believe God has His reasons for allowing free will and they are for the good of souls.

And then I hear that some are chosen to be cured while others suffer on. Again I fully accept it is God's will. Suddenly I remember my sister was cured of Sydenham's Chorea aka St Vitus dance over a weekend at Knock Shrine Ireland in 1950. Then again I remember as a kid reading a sign in a shop window that said the more God loves you the more He will send suffering. After reading that I hoped God didn't love me too much. That is a story I tell a friend who has had two grandchildren dying at 2 and 4 from incurable inhereted disease, and other family tradedies following that. And you know what, I do believe God loves her that much. 

All a person could do is to explain that God is not a genie in bottle who exists only to make our lives "happy", or to "fix" things; and also to explain free will, how bad things can happen to us because other people sin, and that God does not step in to stop others from sinning because he endowed human beings with free will and expects them to do the right thing.

Children are not the only ones who think, "If God loved me He would not have let ________ happen."  I've heard those very words from adults too.

As the Blessed Mother said to St. Bernadette, "I cannot promise you happiness in this life, only in the next."

well, I know all that and many Catholics do, it is just that knowing something and always REALLY knowing it can be 2 different things. There is our head and there is the heart... sometimes miles and miles apart
:cussing:

Not for a very, very long time.



Snip from a sermon given by Fr. Wathen:

...Let us start with these principles my dear people and these must never be out of our minds. No matter what the prevailing sentiment or mood of society, no matter where one is, one must always be convinced of these principles.

The first of which is almighty God is a main participant in all things that happen. No matter how invisible or imperceptible, almighty God is active in the lives of all individuals at all times and He is a participant in the events that occur. From our point of view things may seem to be accidental, or coincidental, or altogether unpredictable, but God, despite all appearances, is the Master of His world, He has His hand in all things.

Further, all that He does, the reason He is such a participant, is that He has in mind the salvation of souls. That is His chief motive and all that He does has that as the chief purpose, to save souls.

And in the life of each one of us, we must be convinced that God is always active and His activity, no matter, again, how altogether imperceptible, or deniable, or questionable, or seemingly unreasonable, His activity has to do with converting us to Himself for our salvation's sake.

We have to accept this even if the world has turned totally pagan and even if we may turn away from Him and give Him no regard, even if we or anyone else is totally unscrupulous, totally unconcerned about one's soul, almighty God is never unconcerned and never inactive with regard to the salvation of souls. This is His total concern comparatively speaking...

well, that sounds lovely
and it is
now if we could all just believe it... as in: believe it so well and so thoroughly that we never question God's love. I may not be there yet... still have "those moments"... get angry at Him, etc... I know "it " is not his fault but why the heck...

well, that sounds lovely
and it is
now if we could all just believe it... as in: believe it so well and so thoroughly that we never question God's love. I may not be there yet... still have "those moments"... get angry at Him, etc... I know "it " is not his fault but why the heck...

Lex Orandi, lex credendi.

If we pray to God always as though we are the only one that matters to Him, as though for Him, there is only us and no one else on earth, it will only be a short while before we attain the faith of a mustard seed in that no matter what, He controls every single solitary thing in our lives, I mean absolutely everything in our lives as though we are the only person on earth - except sin, and that He is giving us every possible opportunity to gain graces to make it to heaven.

Dear Rosary93, not to be loved and protected by those whose responsibility is to love and protect is an horrific thing. You must have suffered greatly.

But remember that it is not possible for God to hate. I am sorry that sometimes you think this way. Besides you are still seeking after God, aren't you?

Have you found it in your heart to (try to) forgive those who have hurt you so badly? It really is the only way to find your way out of your deepest troubles.

Easy for me to say, of course, but it is true. I will pray for you to achieve this.