why did God let this happen?

Today at 7 pm I presided at a funeral service of a 42 year old mother who was killed in a car accident, leaving behind a daughter, husband, parents, sisters, and many many friends and the like. 

The sudden reality of her death has been shocking to say the least to most everyone who has heard or experienced the event. 

One question that has constantly been popping up over the past week has been, "why did God let this happen?"  Another version of the questions is, "why did God not stop it from happening."

This is an important question in the life of faith.  It is a question that many have asked throughout the history f mankind. Why?

St. Augustine asked the question when his mother died when he was a young man.  St. Theresa asked the question together with her father and her sisters when her mother died when she was just a young girl. Why did God let this happen.?

Most recently, Pope John Paul II raised the question when while a young boy, his mother died suddenly  leaving him with his father and brother and grandparents to grieve the loss of the love they had known and shared.  Why did God let this happen?

Why did God let this happen?

Lest we forget, Jesus may have posed the question himself.  Tradition tells us that Joseph, his step-father died when Jesus was still a young man.  There Mary and Jesus both grieved the loss of a protector, provider, lover, teacher, leader, guider and so on. 

One must also not forget that Jesus on the cross carried the question one step further, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me."

The reality is that this question has been around for a while.  It finds its way into our lives often, usually when we least expect it, even sometimes when we do expect it. 

The men and women I mentioned above, the one thing that stands out about them is they had courage to ask the question, but they were not foolish enough to answer it. 

The answer to the question comes in time, comes with continued fidelity and service, comes with continued prayer and love.  The answer comes with living, this is where courage is truly found.  Words could never do the question justice; words could never do the one being questioned justice either.

In fact, when you look at the cry of Jesus on the cross, "my God, My God, why have you forsaken me" you discover that Jesus did not answer the question immediately either.  There has been tons of wasted pages and wasted ink seeking to explain and discourse over such a cry.  But the reality of the answer finds its  source in what was to follow, lest we forget, the empty tomb speaks volumes.  But the answer itself was not revealed until 40 days later when Jesus ascended or 50 days later when the Spirit came.  Time will reveal the answer so many long for; we must pace ourself in faith to arrive for what we long. 

The answer to the question can only be addressed with another question.

"Why did God let this happen?" must be turned to "Now that this has happen, Will you not lead us through this, will you not be our strength?"  Only then do we truly enter into the faith experience of Christ, who understood the question, because he understood the one who is to be questioned. 

Now that this has happened, will you not lead us through?

The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want...though I walk in the valley of death I fear no evil for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage. 

It is important to remember, usually when God feels most distant, this is when he is closer than we can imagine. The fault isn't with God, it is with our imagination. 

Now that this has happened, will you not lead us through it?