Most of us puzzle all our lives over suffering. ‘Why should this happen to me?’ ‘Why should that happen to someone whom I love?’ ‘Is God out to punish me?’ ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ The problem of suffering and evil tortures the human mind.
Each of us develops our little philosophy of suffering. ‘I deserved it’ ‘God punishes those he loves’ ‘Darkness is the shadow of God’s outstretched hand’ etc.. From the beginning, we can presume, humankind puzzled over the things that went wrong — injury, death, famine…
Only when we meet God face to face will our complaints and queries be fully set at rest. In the meantime, we can be comforted — and comfort others — by the glow of light that the Christian tradition offers. On a dark night, even a small candle is a help until the big light is switched on. Divine light shines in the darkness of suffering, which the darkness cannot overcome.
