Why do bad things happen to good people?

From last Sunday’s Gospel, Peter had just confessed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God.  In response, Jesus said to Peter:  “You are rock, and on this rock I will build my Church.  And I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.”  Peter’s leadership in the early Church was clearly established.  Peter voiced the Church’s foundational faith.

In the next very important step of discipleship, Jesus confides to his disciples what he means to be the Messiah.  Jesus’ explanation of discipleship did not compute with Peter.  He was clearly looking for a “no-pain” version of Christianity.  Peter strongly objected to Jesus’ prediction of his passion.  Jesus contradicts Peter’s no-pain version of Christianity not only with “Get behind me, Satan!” but also with the oft-quoted statement “Those who wish to come after me must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.”  For Peter in his discipleship, it is not enough to talk the talk in declaring Jesus to be the Son of God.  He must also walk the walk in following Jesus to his passion and death.

The cross was central to who Jesus is as our Messiah and Lord.  This is what Peter must learn.  And likewise, this is what we too must learn in our path of discipleship.

How are we like Peter and prefer a ‘no-pain’ version of Christianity.  What happens when you or a member of your family is given the test results that indicate cancer?  What happens when life doesn’t seem to be fair?  Why me?  I didn’t deserve this.  Why did God allow this to happen to me?

All of us, have we not, asked the question “why” when the results have not been what we wanted.   Why do bad things happen to good people?

None of us get a free pass from the cross in life.

Today’s First Reading catches the prophet Jeremiah in a moment of weakness.  His intimate lament contains some of the strongest language of doubt found in the Bible.  “You duped me O Lord, and I let myself be duped…All the day I am the object of laughter; everyone mocks me.”  Preaching God’s Word has brought him only derision and reproach.

Jeremiah felt that God was not standing by him.  There was a side to Jeremiah that was not willing to deal with the cost of discipleship.  This is similar to Peter’s objection to Jesus’ prediction of his passion

God does not deceive – and Jeremiah at his core knows this.   God tests the just and disciplines His children through sufferings and trials.

What Jeremiah learns, Jesus states explicitly in today’s Gospel.  To follow Him is to take up a cross, deny yourself – your priorities, preferences, and comforts.

 In our time of suffering, may we discover the inner strength that comes from God who is within us to trust that God’s love for us is unending.  Yes, in your life and in mine, stuff happens that we don’t like -- illness, death of one we love, relationships that have gone wrong, life is unfair at times.

How does this affect our spiritual journey?  This is the question of Jeremiah, the apostle Paul, and Peter in the Gospel.  This is the question of a mom and a dad in dealing with their child’s serious illness.   This is the question we face when a family member dies much too young.  This happens when our chosen career path doesn’t work out. 

We experience suffering personally, and we experience the suffering that happens to us globally as well.  Half a world away, women are kidnapped and sold as sex slaves by shadowy militias.  Christian teenagers are crucified by ISIS.  Uncomfortably closer to him, there are flares of racial conflict in Ferguson, Missouri.

Peter echoes our sentiments when he says:  “God forbid, Lord!  No such thing shall ever happen to you.”

God forbid that the Church has to deal with people with people that don’t have time to come to Sunday Eucharist.  God forbid that clergy in the exercise of religious leadership are not kind and compassionate with the disciples of Jesus.  God forbid that any members of your family do not believe in the same way you do.  God forbid that I wrestle with greed, excess, control of people, and sexual self-interest.

Yes the Church still is suffering.  Jesus wants us to judge as God and not as humans do.  God desires a Church that is forgiving.   The prayerful Gospel question is:  what is the cost of discipleship for me to be a follower of Christ?  As did Peter we have to learn that the cross was central to our discipleship of the Lord Jesus.  Our spiritual path is to be a disciple of the crucified Lord.  In walking the walk of discipleship, we must be willing to embrace the cost of discipleship.

In your spiritual journey, how do you talk to the Lord in facing illness, death, relationships that have fallen apart, in dealing with depression and loneliness?  Do you experience frustration, anger, and abandonment from a God who is supposed to be taking care of you?

Can you experience a God who accompanies you in moments of darkness as well as moments of light? Can you experience a God whose love for you is unending even amidst the trials of life?  This was the question Jeremiah, Paul, and Peter experienced in today’s Scripture reading.  Paul prays that we will be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God.

Jesus accepted suffering personally.  He did not passively submit to it.  And we know, Christ’s love was infinitely meaningful.

True discipleship happens only after we hear and accept this challenge:  “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

God is good…all the time.