“Why do people, including even innocent children suffer?”
The Gospel for the third Sunday of Lent tells us about a loving, merciful, and patient God who gives us all the opportunity to repent and turn our lives to take the right direction. Our Lord is not a vengeful, who takes delight in punishing but one who is also compassionate and just.
The Gospel from Luke narrates an incident where Jesus is asked by some of his followers about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Listening pensively, Jesus replied to them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them— do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
And as always when Jesus wanted to drive home a point, he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down.”
What is then the purpose of suffering? Why do people, including even innocent children suffer?
These days, we are flooded with news coverage about the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The Russian aggression is causing so much death and destruction. Millions of innocent civilians, including men, women, and children, flee their homes to neighboring countries to escape.
Suffering and misery is everywhere. In the Philippines, have we seen what Duterte’s war against drugs has done to many poor communities?
Are the Ukrainians being punished? Do the families of Duterte’s victims deserve what they got?
The gospel reading tells us, not necessarily.
Different religious cultures see pain and suffering in a lot of different ways. To some, it is a misfortune, dealing the unlucky card, or losing favor from the gods. To others, it is a sort of punishment by a superior being. But in the Judeo-Christian tradition, pain and suffering reminds us of our powerlessness, limitations, and finitude. Death and suffering can make us glimpse death. It is God’s way to remind us that he alone is in control, that we cannot rely solely on our own devices.
As the Scripture will tell us, God uses suffering as a tool in the believer’s life to mold, sharpen, and strengthen us. Suffering can be the result of God’s discipline, which He does out of love. It behooves each and every one of us to use this suffering as a unique opportunity to sanctify ourselves and become better persons.
We all know that following God’s will is not a walk in the park. In fact, Christian theology exhorts the faithful to embrace the cross just as
Jesus willingly offered himself as a living sacrifice to redeem mankind. He did not escape the cross but embraced it and became like a lamb to the slaughter. No one can escape death and suffering for it is the inevitable and undeniable fact of life. But for this cross to be meaningful, we have to learn to acknowledge that a cross without Christ will not be a glorious cross while a cross without him is to suffer without gaining any merit that will lead to the final destiny, i.e. eternity in the company of God the Father. Thus suffering and pain has a redemptive value that can be utilized as an opportunity for sanctification.
As in the parable, God, because of his infinite love, does not want to punish us. But we are all obligated, as children of God to lead fruitful and meaningful lives, to produce plenty of fruit. He waits patiently for the tree, that is, for each one of us, to bear fruit, in accordance to the graces each one receives. As heirs of his kingdom, it is our duty to obey his precepts and live according to his will. Thus, we should not be lazy, neglectful of our duty, indifferent, and pleasure-seeking. For doing so means death, the consequence of disobedience.
The parable speaks of the person waiting three years for the fig tree to bear fruit, and so commands the gardener to cut it down, after all, why should the useless tree be allowed to exhaust the soil. But the gardener begs his lord to wait a little longer.
Christians have been so generously bestowed by Jesus with the gift of faith. Christian duty dictates that this faith is shared, either by evangelizing or by practicing Christian virtues and being a good example to others.
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