Is God Good? All the Time?

Last updated on: July 27, 2016 at 12:55 am by Mary Pezzulo

Is God Good? All the Time? 2016-07-27T00:55:29-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Sometimes the blind stay blind, and I can’t explain why this is. I have no answer for why you don’t get the miracle you need. I understand even less why some don’t get what they need and others get everything they want. I don’t understand why God remains silent when you hang on the cross. I don’t know why we hang on this cross at all. I know that the Savior came to be nailed with us here, but I don’t know why we feel His presence so rarely. I won’t cheapen the mystery with a hackneyed, foolish answer. It isn’t fair. It can’t be right. It’s not a test of faith some take and others don’t, not as we understand testing. We are given more than we can handle. We all are. Life will kill every one of us, but first it will hurt. And it hurts some far more than others, and that isn’t fair.

But I do know of a deeper mystery. There are many records of Christ working miracles; there is also a record of a time He refused to work miracles.

Satan commanded Christ to turn stones into bread, and He did not. But He did plant a grain of wheat in the darkness behind the stones, and the grain of wheat died in agony. After it died, it sprouted, and yielded fruit a hundredfold. Then the fruit was ground into dust and made into bread, a small amount of bread that fed a multitude with plenty to spare. And then, the miracle of miracles. Let all mortal flesh keep silence. Then the Bread of Heaven is given to the worst of sinners. You and I receive it, and you and I become the Body of Christ. And we suffer and die as Christ suffered and died, but our suffering has meaning because it is Christ’s suffering.

Satan then commanded Christ to throw Himself off of the temple, daring the angels to catch Him, and He did not. But He did remain with us until we cast Him out of our city; we killed Him and cast Him away, and He descended much farther than the distance between the temple and the earth. He descended into hell, into deepest darkness, and all seemed lost. And then, the miracle of miracles. Let the angels and archangels tremble at the mystery. He rose from the dead. And we who eat the Bread of Life and become the Body of Christ; in this life we descend into darkness, but in the end we will rise with Him.

Satan finally commanded Christ to bow and worship him, in exchange for all the nations of the world. Christ, who loved the nations and longed for them to follow Him, refused, and Satan left Him for a time. Then, the Miracle of Miracles. Let the Seraphim cover their eyes and sing the thrice-holy hymn. He came out of the desert and gathered the worst of sinners to Himself, and we the worst of sinners became the Body of Christ. We go out into the world and bring the nations in to Him. Through our intercession, through our works of mercy, through our witness, through our testimony, through our endurance in the suffering that is evil and unjust, through our casting ourselves into the Father’s hands when we can endure no more, we bring the nations to Him.

I don’t understand that mystery. Frankly, part of me can’t stand this mystery. But I accept it in the name of the Father who holds all things. I pray He hears our cries and sends the miracles we long for. I pray that if He doesn’t, He will make another way. God is good, all the time. Even in this hour of darkness, God is good.

Previous Post

April 8, 2016

Take This From Me: A Review of God's Not Dead 2

Next Post

April 12, 2016 Be Sweet!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Shema," the central Jewish prayer, mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Hear Pray Light Peace