Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

I’ve recently been reading about herem warfare – God’s command in the Old Testament that the Israelites destroy their enemies, including animals and babies. It’s hard to understand this, especially in light of the New Testament’s emphasis on loving one’s neighbor. The world is a troubled place and it’s tempting to ask why a good God allows these things to happen.

In my book, Gift of Death – A Message of Comfort and Hope, I tell the story of Matthew Shea, a little boy who was killed when he slipped out of his older brothers’ grasp, jumped on a sled and took off down a hill on the family farm. At the bottom of that hill, his father was clearing snow and didn’t see his son. In an instant, Matthew was under the back tires of the tractor and he died on the way to the hospital.

Whenever something like this happens, especially if it’s the death or illness of a child, it can cause us to wonder why God would inflict such a thing on those he loves, or even if there is a God. It’s a question that people have been asking since the dawn of time. When Jesus was asked this very thing, he said, “He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and for those who do wrong.” (Matthew 5:45) Contained in that verse is the idea that God doesn’t inflict the bad, he simply allows it to happen. But why?

“Our Lord created us to live in paradise,” says Msgr. Patrick Schumacher. “His plan was that we not experience death. Worries, stresses, are not created by God, they’re allowed by God as we live in this fallen world.” Schumacher says it's most likely to come up when the bad thing happens to a child. “It gets us to our core because we think it’s not fair. But that’s because we can’t understand God’s plan. Bad things can happen for our salvation.”

That can be hard to accept, especially since we can’t see with God’s long lens. We pray and then wonder why God didn’t answer. What we often fail to recognize is that God’s answer comes in his own good time. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways’” declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8).

If you want a perfect example of the benefits of looking at the world through a long lens, consider the life of Jesus. “Sinless, yet betrayed by his closest friends,” says Schumacher. “Sold for the price of a slave, his agony in the garden when he was alone, beaten by Romans who occupied his homeland, betrayed by his own people before Pilot and nailed to a cross. The one truth after Adam and Eve is that there would be no redemption without suffering, without the cross. And that’s why Jesus Christ is our model to answer that question.”

Little Matthew Shea died in 1994. Here is an excerpt from the book:

"In the same month that Matthew died, Pat became pregnant again. She was 44 at the time. Nine months later she gave birth to Maria, a long-awaited baby girl. (Msgr. James) Shea believes that Maria was a special gift, influenced by Matthew, and he says the little boy’s death brought the entire family closer together.”

In the years since 1994, two of Matthew’s brothers have become priests, and Msgr. Shea believes he continues to bring good things to all of their lives. Few can doubt that Matthew is with God. It’s possible that the terrible thing that happened to his parents paved the way for the salvation of many.