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You can see from the image above that I’m taking on a very difficult question here – one that has no quick or easy answers. And those answers that have been offered, have left many people unsatisfied. I’m not offering an answer in the prayer that follows – more of an exploration of a tough question whose probing, if nothing else, will lead us to ponder and pray over the inscrutable mysteries of God…
I hate it, Lord,
when bad things happen to good
people…
And,
let’s face it, Lord:
bad things happen to good people
a lot,
even often – all the time…
And I don’t understand, Lord – WHY –
some really bad things happen
to
some really good people
and why sometimes
the worst
things happen
to
the best of people…
And I
don’t understand, Lord,
why you – you who are so good –
why you
ALLOW
bad things to happen to good people,
things
that burden and complicate
and mess up the lives
of people who’ve done no wrong…
I don’t
understand, Lord:
why hard times fall
on hard
workers;
or why the rich get richer
and
the poor get poorer;
or why innocent people
are
unjustly accused;
or why the kindest of people
get
sick and die;
or why so many starve
while food is wasted;
or while
some have 2 homes
while
others are homeless;
or why hard-working people
lose
all that they have;
or why innocent children
are
born into poverty;
or why the weak are bullied
by
strong-armed thugs;
why good folks suffer
for
no good reason
in ways that are painful,
undeserved
and harsh…
So,
that’s why I wonder, Lord,
why do you let bad things happen
to good people
– why do you let bad things happen
to ANY people!
Why do
you, a loving, merciful God
allow your people, your own, your beloved,
to know, to experience, to live through
their losses, suffering and pain?
Lord,
it’s not that I think
you’re mean or cruel:
I
believe that you’re loving,
merciful and kind…
And
it’s not that I think
you don’t care about me:
I
believe that you hold me close
in your arms, your hands and your heart…
And it’s
not that I think
you forget or abandon me:
I believe you keep a watchful eye on me
always, all day and all night…
But I
also know, Lord,
that I live in a broken world
a world
with sharp and jagged edges
that cut and scrape and wound and scar
the bodies and the souls
of the good and the bad alike
I know,
Lord,
that you’re not the source
of my suffering and pain…
that it’s I who fail you,
not you who fail me…
that you love me, Lord – all of the time –
when
I’m good – and when I’m not…
And I
know that hard times come my way
when I fail to love you
and my brothers and sisters
and when I fail to love myself;
that bad
things often happen to me
when I’m foolish, not wise
when I’m selfish, not generous
when I’m judgmental, not understanding
when I’m rude, not respectful
when I’m greedy, not generous
when I’m angry, not peaceful
when I’m arrogant, not humble
when I’m spiteful, not kind
when I’m prejudiced, not impartial
when I’m hostile, not friendly
when I’m demanding, not accepting,
when I’m crude, not respectable,
when I’m aggressive, not approachable
when I’m rough, not gentle
when I’m uncaring, not thoughtful
when I’m lustful, not clean
when I’m hardhearted, not forgiving
when I’m reckless, not prudent
when I’m hasty, not careful
when I’m hateful, not loving…
And sometimes,
Lord,
– when others are judgmental and spiteful
–
that’s when bad things happen to
me…
But at other
times, Lord,
– when it’s me who’s spiteful and
judgmental
that’s when bad things happen to others
– and I’m the
one who’s at fault…
But you
already know all about all of this, Lord,
because you are good, you are always
good
– and
yet –
such bad things happened to you
and for that we are all to blame…
You are
good, Lord, loving and faithful,
merciful, selfless, kind and just
but on
account of my faults and my many sins,
you were unjustly judged and condemned,
and you
suffered and died on the Cross for me
that I might be pardoned, forgiven by you
and
have that life and find that peace
that’s only yours to give…
Walk
with me, Lord and be by my side
when hard things come my way,
and bad things happen to me
when I
don’t understand
my suffering and my pain
and I turn to you for healing…
When
bad things happen to good folks, Lord,
when bad things happen to me:
deepen my
faith in you and your word
and give me the strength I need
to love
my neighbor as myself
and you, my God, above all…
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Praying to the Virgin Mary
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