Why Do Good Things Happen To Bad People?

Three words… Charleston, South Carolina. I live just a few miles away, and suffice it to say there have been a series of heart-breaking events taking place here since that fateful day in June when an angry 21-year-old entered a church with a gun and killed 9 people attending a bible-study. All of us were left to struggle with the question, “How could a tragedy like this happen to good people who were doing the right thing?”

This week, we’ve been dealing with “historic” flooding. My neighborhood has remained relatively unscathed by these terrible floods, but many of the surrounding neighborhoods are or have been under water for days and people we know – good people – have lost everything. Families who are already dealing with major life problems like cancer, job loss, and divorce now have double the suffering heaped upon them. Why are these bad things happening to good people?

Half a world away in Rome, Pope Francis’ October 8th homily for the Synod speaks directly to this question. His response is thought-provoking and profound in a counter-cultural way, that merely turns the question around to look at it from a different angle…

Why do good things happen to bad people?

This may sound ridiculous to some and insulting to others. And I can see why. Most of us consider ourselves to be good people who deserve good things. But Pope Francis uses this perennial question of the heart to open a door into the mystery of sin and its relation to God’s providence, justice and mercy. God made us good and we strive to live a good life, but we are not perfect. Our sinful nature causes us to offend God. Yet the Holy Father points out that despite our offenses, God still blesses us with good things.

But this point can be pretty hard to swallow, sometimes, because of the unjust and unfair manner in which our crosses are imposed upon us. For example, a spouse abandons his/her marriage and family for selfish reasons, and the other spouse who would have worked to save the marriage is left in the dust, to pick up the pieces and must find a way to handle the reality of the injustice. This scenario – one that unfortunately plays out every day – can leave the faithful spouse feeling cynical. “How many times do we see this reality… in people who do evil, and seem to do well in life: they are happy, they have everything they want, they want for nothing. Why Lord?” the Pope acknowledged.

“God does not abandon the righteous,” Pope Francis remarked. In my personal experience with losing 3 children in miscarriage, going through a divorce, enduring extreme financial hardship and all the other curve balls life has thrown my way, I concur with the Holy Father. God is always with us but sometimes he allows the suffering to continue. Why? Here are a few points I think are worth considering:

1.       Obstacles in your relationship with God.

Is it possible the person or thing you lost was an obstacle to your relationship with God? Sometimes our relationships take us away from God, or the possessions we cling to are worth more to us than God. Losing these things may be painful, but they can also open our eyes to see just how far we’ve drifted from him. The loss can be what draws us closer to God.

2.      There are lessons God wants you to learn.

This may not be readily recognizable, but if you approach our suffering with an attitude of childlike trust, asking, What do you want me to learn from this, Lord? you will come to recognize what the takeaway is. It also becomes easier to find a purpose in your suffering.

There are many suffering families out there and Pope Francis called this Extraordinary Synod on the Family to see how the Church can better assist them and their problems. If you are one of those suffering Catholics, I encourage you to approach this conversation of healing with God by asking, “What do you want me to learn, Lord? What are you trying to show me?” If you are being faithful to Him and you keep this spirit of child-like trust, He will bless you abundantly.