Pope affirms suffering is for a greater good

(March 8, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI affirmed on Sunday that God is good and cannot will evil, though in his plan of love, he sometimes allows his children to be tried through suffering to lead them to a greater good. The Pope drew lessons on the mystery of suffering from Sunday’s Gospel when he addressed those gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray the midday “Angelus” with him. The Holy Father spoke of the Gospel passage which recounts Pontius Pilate's order to have some Galileans killed in the Temple, and the collapse of a tower on some passers-by. Since people had concluded that these deaths were the "effect of divine punishment, Jesus restores the true image of God, who is good and cannot will evil," the Pontiff explained. He continued: "Jesus invites us to interpret these facts differently, connecting them with conversion - misfortunes, sorrowful events, should not arouse curiosity in us or a seeking of people presumed to be guilty, but they must be occasions for reflecting, for overcoming the illusion of pretending to live without God, and for reinforcing, with the Lord’s help, the commitment to change our life. "In the face of sin, God shows himself to be full of mercy and he does not fail to call sinners to avoid evil, to grow in his love and to concretely help our neighbour in need, to live the joy of grace and not risk eternal death."