“If God is good, why is there evil?” This profound question has challenged believers and skeptics alike. How can a good and omnipotent God permit suffering, evil, and death in the world He created? Catholic theology offers a rich and multifaceted response grounded in Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, philosophical insights from saints like Augustine and Aquinas, contemporary perspectives on evolution, and the mystery of Christ’s Cross. Each aspect sheds light on how God’s goodness and providence prevail even in the presence of evil.
1. Biblical Foundations: Goodness, Free Will, and Redemption
Core Understanding
The Bible begins with the affirmation of creation’s goodness:
“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
The Church teaches that all things were created by God out of love and were, therefore, good in their original state (CCC 299). Evil, however, entered the world through the misuse of human free will. The Catechism states:
“God is in no way, directly or indirectly, the cause of moral evil. He permits it, however, because He respects the freedom of His creatures and, mysteriously, knows how to derive good from it” (CCC 311).
Genesis 3 recounts the Fall, in which Adam and Eve’s disobedience ruptures humanity’s original harmony with God, each other, and creation. St. Paul reflects on this in Romans:
“Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
Despite the consequences of sin, Scripture assures us that God is always at work to bring good out of evil. St. Paul writes:
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
The ultimate resolution to the problem of evil is found in the person of Jesus Christ, whose suffering, death, and resurrection provide redemption and restore the possibility of communion with God (CCC 410–412).
Example/Analogy
Consider a parent teaching a child to ride a bicycle. The parent may allow the child to fall but does so knowing that these stumbles are necessary for the child’s growth and independence. Similarly, God allows suffering to teach humanity dependence on Him and to draw us into greater spiritual maturity.
2. St. Augustine: Evil as the Absence of Good
Core Understanding
St. Augustine (354–430) addressed the problem of evil extensively in his Confessions and Enchiridion. He concluded that evil is not a substance but a privation of good:
“Evil has no positive nature; but the loss of good has received the name evil” (Enchiridion, Ch. 11).
The Catechism echoes this understanding:
“Evil is not a being, for it would not be possible unless a good existed of which it is the privation” (CCC 385).
For Augustine, God is not the author of evil, but rather, evil arises when creatures misuse their free will and turn away from God, the source of all goodness. This disordered love, or cupiditas, introduces moral evil into the world. Augustine also emphasized that God’s providence allows for evil to bring about greater good, as exemplified in the story of Joseph (Genesis 50:20).
Example/Analogy
Think of a wound in a healthy body. The wound is not a substance in itself but the absence of wholeness in the tissue. Similarly, evil exists as the absence or distortion of the goodness that God intended in creation.
3. St. Thomas Aquinas: Evil and Divine Providence
Core Understanding
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) expanded on Augustine’s insights, defining evil as a privation of good in his Summa Theologiae:
“Evil is the privation of good, and it is not a being but the absence of being” (ST I, q. 48, a. 1).
Aquinas emphasized that while God does not cause evil, He permits it as part of His providential plan. The Catechism affirms this:
“God permits evil in order to draw forth some greater good” (CCC 412).
Aquinas highlighted the Crucifixion of Christ as the ultimate example of this principle: the greatest moral evil—the unjust killing of the Son of God—becomes the source of humanity’s salvation. As Romans 5:20 states:
“Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”
Through this lens, suffering is not meaningless but part of a greater divine plan to bring about redemption and renewal.
Example/Analogy
A potter uses fire to strengthen and purify clay, transforming raw material into a durable vessel. In the same way, God permits the “fire” of suffering to refine and perfect humanity, preparing us for eternal life.
4. Brian Davies: God and the Mystery of Evil
Core Understanding
Contemporary theologian Brian Davies critiques overly simplistic explanations for evil, emphasizing the mystery of God’s ways. He stresses that God’s goodness is not analogous to human morality, as God transcends human categories of justice and goodness (CCC 370). Quoting Isaiah 55:8–9, Davies reminds us:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.”
The Catechism similarly teaches that the ways of divine providence remain mysterious to us, but faith assures us that God’s goodness remains intact:
“We firmly believe that God is master of the world and of its history. But the ways of His providence are often unknown to us” (CCC 314).
For Davies, the proper response to evil is not to demand full comprehension but to trust in God’s providence, revealed most fully in the Cross of Christ.
Example/Analogy
Imagine reading a single chapter of a complex novel. Without the full story, the chapter might seem confusing or tragic. Similarly, human beings experience life as part of a larger divine story that only God fully comprehends.
5. Evolutionary Theory and the Problem of Evil
Core Understanding
Evolutionary theory suggests that suffering, death, and predation existed long before humans, raising questions about how these realities fit with the biblical account of the Fall. Catholic teaching affirms that God can work through natural processes like evolution, seeing them as part of His creative plan (CCC 283–284).
The Catechism teaches that the Fall introduced moral and spiritual evil into the world, while physical suffering and death are part of the natural order, awaiting renewal in Christ (CCC 400). St. Paul writes in Romans 8:22:
“The whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now.”
The Church views the evolutionary process as consistent with the belief that all creation is ultimately oriented toward Christ, the “firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15).
Example/Analogy
Consider a sculptor chiseling a block of marble. The process may seem destructive, but each strike reveals the artist’s vision. Similarly, the evolutionary process, with its suffering and death, can be seen as the means through which God brings about the beauty and complexity of creation.
6. The Cross and the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Core Understanding
The Cross is central to the Catholic response to evil. Through His Passion, Christ enters into human suffering and redeems it. The Catechism teaches:
“In His divine power, Christ has freely taken upon Himself the entire burden of evil and conquered the sin of the world” (CCC 385).
The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus reflects this mystery. The Sacred Heart symbolizes God’s boundless love for humanity and His solidarity with human suffering. It reminds us that suffering is not meaningless but transformed through Christ’s redemptive work (CCC 478).
Example/Analogy
A broken vase, when repaired with gold, becomes even more beautiful through its flaws. Similarly, Christ transforms human suffering into something greater, revealing God’s glory and love.
Conclusion: Trust in God’s Plan
The Catholic tradition offers a comprehensive response to the problem of evil. Drawing from Scripture, the Catechism, and theology, it affirms that evil is real but not ultimate. God’s providence works through suffering and death, bringing about greater goods and the hope of redemption.
As St. Paul writes:
“I am convinced that neither death, nor life... nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:38–39).
Through faith, hope, and trust in God’s plan, believers find the strength to endure suffering and the assurance of ultimate renewal.
References
- Augustine, Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Charity.
- Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologiae.
- Brian Davies, The Reality of God and the Problem of Evil.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican.va.
- The Holy Bible (NRSVCE).
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man.
- John F. Haught, God After Darwin: A Theology of Evolution.
- John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris.