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Suffering With Signs of God
If God is all good, then He cannot be all powerful, because He cannot prevent evil and suffering. And if God is all powerful, then He cannot be all good, because He can prevent evil, but chooses not to.
Following the terror attacks of Sept.11, this centuries-old theological conundrum was on the minds of many, according to the Rev. James Martin, S.J., author of Searching for God at Ground Zero (Sheed and Ward, 2002). Father Martin pondered evil during a lecture, “Spirituality and Tragedy in an Ignatian Light,” an Ignatian Awareness Week event held at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus on Feb. 4.
“The Ignatian way of looking at suffering is not so much why does suffering or tragedy happen, but where is God in this tragedy?” said Father Martin, who also serves as editor of America magazine. “Experiencing God is not the why of suffering but the what of suffering.”
In his book, Father Martin recounts observations of the firefighters, police officers and rescue workers all pulling together with dedication, service and love at Ground Zero on Sept. 28, 2001. The reflections of a sanitation worker whom Father Martin befriended led him to conclude, “If any people still doubt the reality of evil in the world, let them come to the World Trade Center. And if any still doubt the presence of God in the world, let them come to the World Trade Center.”
Father Martin explained suffering in an Ignatian context and related it to the larger context of the Judeo-Christian understanding of suffering in light of one’s relationship to God and community. Saint Ignatius stressed the importance of freedom when letting God guide oneself—freedom from the desire to seek health over sickness, wealth over poverty, honor over dishonor, and a long life over a short one. If someone were free, nothing would prevent him from reaching out to help others. For example, he would not let the fear of illness dissuade him from volunteering at a hospital.
“Many Christians find answers in the Jesus of Nazareth story, which acts as a model for living a life with some suffering,” said Father Martin. “Jesus Christ is the parable of God and His mysterious ways. When we suffer we are more like Jesus, which makes us more like God and we understand Him better.”
According to Father Martin, it is through such suffering that the human condition becomes vulnerable, the ego is let down, and people are open to experience God in a more profound way.
“After 9/11…people wanted to know if the tragedy was a result of punishment, a sacrifice that needed to be made, or if God was even with them,” said Father Martin. “I think suffering is a total mystery. We don’t understand it and that’s the most meaningful explanation to me.”
Ignatian Awareness Week, held Feb. 2-8, promotes the Jesuit and Catholic identity of Fordham by raising awareness of the life and work of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. Other lectures during the week included “Ignatian Spirituality and the Struggle with Self-Esteem,” “Finding Your Vocation in Life,” and “Jesuits and Social Justice: A Discussion of the Film, The Mission.”
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