Daily Meditation: Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Suffering - in what sense we can say it comes from God

07/06/2010

Most religions say that suffering comes from God: it is God who sends trials to the just, because he loves them, and it is God also who pursues wrongdoers to punish them for their faults and compel them to return to the right path. What is really the case? There are immutable laws that rule God's created universe and the way it functions and evolves, and human beings are part of this universe. If they transgress the laws, they receive knocks; this is the sense in which religions can say God punishes them. And if they keep on trying to improve their understanding and respect for the laws, the difficulties they encounter also cause them suffering, but this suffering, which is a natural part of the evolutionary path, contributes to their development. This is why it can also be said that God makes the just suffer, and he does so because, in his love, he wants them to grow and flourish. This love is also a part of cosmic law.