I knew an old woman, recently deceased, who as a small child had seen
immense evil. It was during the German occupation of France, German
soldiers had broken into the house of her little friend, they
raped her several times, in front of everybody, then
they killed her in front of the parents, afterwards they took the few months
old baby, stabbed her to death on the table, and then cut her up into
several pieces.
This happened 79 years ago, but every time she related this, she cried.
It took place in a village not far from mine.
She was deeply religious, a kind, caring, patient and good humored woman
who spent her life teaching and loving children.
Some people say that they don't believe in God, because if an all powerful
loving God existed he would never allow such evil. But it is paradoxically their
refusal to believe in the existence of evil, that blinds them to see that both God
and evil exists.
Many people, and many Catholics too, say that they don't believe in hell.
Even looking at it from their point of view; as hell already exist on earth for
many people, there is no obvious logical reason that it would not exist afterwards.
When people say that they want to end their life, because they can't cope with it,
they sometimes reason that ending it will put an end to the pain and suffering,
the question arises: how do you know?
It is an assumption, that's all. Wishful thinking.
The truth is that it is people who are most in touch with the realities of the world,
who don't have blinkers, who do not live in denial about the absolute horrors that
man is capable of carrying out, and even justifying it, who understands what it
means to have free will, and that this free will is absolute and it comes from God,
who created us and everything in the world.
This awareness makes a person naturally slow to trust any man, he becomes vigilant.
Man is corrupt, and capable of falling to an unlimited
level of sickness and depravity.
Man is also capable of becoming holy, united with God, on earth.
The Church's catechesis today is often lacking in clarity, it can be varied from
parish to parish, depending on the priest.
But God is absolute. He is not someone we can negotiate or make compromises
with, there are no concessions. It is a case of "take it or leave it".
Because everybody knows the sayings:
"give the little finger and they take the whole hand"
and "there is no gain if there is no pain".
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