Catholic Replies
Q. What percentage of children who have received the Precious Blood after First Communion and beyond become alcoholics? — M.A.W., Illinois.
A. We know of no study that has pursued that line of inquiry. Based on 25 years as the director of religious education in a parish, we have observed many children receiving Holy Communion, with perhaps half of them receiving the Precious Blood. Furthermore, those who do drink from the chalice consume such a small amount of the consecrated Wine that we can’t imagine it leading them in the direction of alcoholism. That would have to be the result of heavy drinking of alcohol later in their lives.
Q. Does God allow evil? — G.Z., New York.
A. The short answer is yes, but additional explanation is required. God is the Lord of the universe and nothing happens in the world that is not part of His eternal plan. In the words of the Catechism: “Nothing is impossible with God, who disposes his works according to his will [cf. Jer. 27:5; 32:17; Luke 1:37]. He is the Lord of the universe, whose order he established and which remains wholly subject to him and at his disposal. He is master of history, governing hearts and events in keeping with his will” (n. 269).
Having said that, we must distinguish between God’s positive will, whereby He makes something happen, such as the Flood in the time of Noah, the parting of the Red Sea in the time of Moses, or the Resurrection of Jesus, and His permissive will, whereby He allows events to take place, even bad events, such as the Death of His Son on the Cross, so that He can bring good out of them. As horrible as were the recent hurricanes that battered Caribbean islands, the Gulf Coast of Texas, and the state of Florida, even with all the loss of life and the economic devastation could be seen great acts of love to help those in desperate need.
Why is there evil in the world? Because of original sin. Is God responsible for evil? No. He created our first parents and gave them, and us, free will, which allowed them, and us, to make disordered choices. Adam and Eve were created in a state of original holiness and justice, but at the instigation of Satan they rebelled against their Creator and started a chain reaction of sin and evil that will persist until the end of time. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that God did not turn away from sinful humanity, but sent His only Son to die for our sins and to overcome evil. Yes, evil is prevalent in the world, but as St. Paul said, God’s grace is more prevalent (cf. Romans 5:20) and, in His own time, God will bring about the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
Some understanding of this mystery can be found in a book by Mark Giszczak entitled Light on the Dark Passages of Scripture, which is published by Our Sunday Visitor. We highly recommend this book for addressing many of the difficult-to-understand passages in the Bible and offer the following excerpt as an example of the book’s value:
“Of course, we could write a thousand books about suffering and evil, but the principles for understanding all the complex arguments that philosophers, theologians, and others make boil down to a few simple concepts. God is all-good and all-powerful. Evil is a privation of good. No one is righteous. All are born under sin and are therefore subject to death. God does bring justice, but we might have to wait until the end of time for all the loose ends to be tied together. In fact, God walks with us on the path of suffering, suffers on our behalf, and fights on our side against the evil in the world.
“Deep down we know the unjust and terrible sufferings so many people undergo are simply not right. There’s no way to stare a suffering person in the face and simply explain away his or her troubles. But we can trust that when he returns, God will judge everyone everywhere and undo the wrongs and injustices of this world. Someday, ‘he will wipe away every tear’ (Rev. 21:4), and our hearts will finally rest in the victory of God’s justice” (p. 110).
Q. A parishioner recently donated a cross with the crucified Christ for our parish cemetery. Since the crucifix was installed, I have received letters from two parishioners who have family members buried there. They strongly object to the cross, saying that “our Catholic religion is based on the Resurrection, and I find this graphic depiction of Our Lord’s death to be out of character with the solace one seeks when visiting the graves of loved ones.” This parishioner said that the crucifix is “extremely violent and gaudy” and is “a jarring reminder of pain and suffering rather than rest and redemption.” How should I respond to these objections? — F.A., Massachusetts.
A. First of all, we would point out that our religion is not based solely on the Resurrection, but also on the Passion and Death of Our Lord (as well as the teachings of Christ as expressed in the Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount). You cannot have an Easter Sunday without a Good Friday. Remember that St. Peter tried to talk Jesus out of going to the cross, and Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matt. 16:23).
Second, when Jesus talked about His followers taking up their crosses if they were to be His true disciples (cf. Matt. 16:24), we don’t think He was talking about a cross with His resurrected body on it. Carrying the latter cross wouldn’t be much of a burden compared to shouldering one that represents all the trials that Jesus went through — pain, suffering, derision, false accusations, and abandonment by His friends.
Third, while it is not pleasant to look upon the crucified Jesus, it is necessary so that we can realize that it was our sins that caused the Lord to suffer so horribly. Every one of those wounds was Christ’s way of atoning for all the sins from Adam to the end of the world — sins of the head (lustful, envious, and hateful thoughts), sins of the body (fornication, adultery, masturbation, homosexual acts), sins of the hands and feet (abortion, murder, theft, gluttony, prostitution, slavery).
There was no sin, past, present, or future, that Jesus did not take on His sinless shoulders and for which He did not shed blood. And don’t forget His mental agony, the knowledge that His suffering and death would be in vain for those who would never repent of their sins and would wind up in Hell.
His skin was the parchment on which all of those sins were written, said Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and His blood was the ink.
A sterile and cleaned-up version of Christ on the cross will not have nearly the impact on people as did, for example, the movie The Passion of the Christ. We suspect that Mel Gibson’s truthful and stunning depiction of the last 12 hours in the life of Christ will motivate more people to repent of their sins and believe in the Gospel of Jesus than would a movie about the resurrected Jesus.
Fourth, St. Paul spoke convincingly about the Resurrection of Jesus, and the importance of His rising from the dead (cf. 1 Cor. 15), but he gave more emphasis to the death of our Lord, saying that “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). He told the people of Corinth in the same letter that “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1:22-24).
Fifth, the words of an unknown poet illustrate the value of a cross bearing the crucified Christ:
“Lo! There He hangs, ashened figure — pinioned to the wood. / God grant that I might love Him — even as I should. / I draw a little closer — to touch that face divine. / And then He leans to whisper — ‘Ah, foolish child of mine. / If now I should embrace you — my hands would stain you red. / And if I leaned to kiss you — the thorns would pierce your head.’ / T’was then I learned in meekness — that love demands a price. / T’was then I knew that suffering — is but the kiss of Christ.”
