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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
trust in God vs. free will of our enemy	Catherine	Monday, June 23, 2008
Question: hello and god bless you I heard some people call God a father a pastor and a protector and that christians are apple of his eye and that too much fear of wicked people is a sign of lack of trust in God ''the Lord is my shepherd I donot fear what man can do unto me'' also the church says that jesus is spouse of virgins BUT we know that many consecrated virgins were RAPED in the history BUTwhich husband allows his wife to be RAPED in his presence? some people say that if God would prevent our enemy from harming us he would violate the FREE WILL of our enemy. so what is the meaning of that fatherly protection if we are left to mercy of FREE WILL of our enemy to do with us whatever he wants? from what dose he protect us?If Jesus loves US more than his life dose not he love Us more than perverse will of a GODless person?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Catherine: The "so what" is if God removed free will from our enemies we all would lost free will. Free will is the gift God gave to mankind. We are made in the image of God and part of that image is the ability to choose. God loves us so much that He gave us a part of Himself. God is love and He wants us to love Him. But, love cannot be forced, it must be chosen. Thus, we have free will to freely choose to love Him. The risk is that while free will allows us to choose love, it also give us the ability to choose hate and to reject God. That is a risk that must be taken because is we have the ability to choose we have the ability to choose. If we do not have the ability to choose evil, then we do not have the ability to choose love. Sin abuses that choice, that free will. Sin came into the world by the choice of Adam in the Garden. This was not God's choice, it was the consequences of man's choice. We reap the consequences of that choice. Evil exists. Men sometimes choose to do evil things. God will not violate anyone's free will. He can't. If He did He would be a liar and God is not a liar. Bad things happen to good people. That is the consequence of a sinful world. But, as God tells us, "fear not those who can harm your body, but fear Him who can send your soul to hell." (Luke 12:4-5). What is important is not the safety of our body, but the safety of our soul. If bad things happen to us God can bring something good from it. God tells us that "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). This is God's promise and God is not a liar. Even when major evil befalls us like rape, or murder of a loved one, God can bring something good out of that. He can use those experiences to strengthen our soul and spirits and even to strengthen others. We must trust in God. As stated by Fr. Jordan Aumann in his definitive work, "Spiritual Theology": God never wills positively and directly that which refers to evil, which God cannot will as such. But in his infinite goodness and wisdom God knows how to convert into good the evil that he permits, and that is why he permits it. Hence we manifest a lamentable shortsightedness when, in the the evils God permits to happen to us, we do not raise our eyes to heaven to adore God, who permits these for our greater good. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

trust in God vs. free will of our enemy

Catherine

Monday, June 23, 2008

Question:

hello and god bless you I heard some people call God a father a pastor and a protector and that christians are apple of his eye and that too much fear of wicked people is a sign of lack of trust in God ''the Lord is my shepherd I donot fear what man can do unto me''

also the church says that jesus is spouse of virgins BUT we know that many consecrated virgins were RAPED in the history BUTwhich husband allows his wife to be RAPED in his presence?

some people say that if God would prevent our enemy from harming us he would violate the FREE WILL of our enemy. so what

is the meaning of that fatherly protection if we are left to mercy of FREE WILL of our enemy to do with us whatever he wants? from what dose he protect us?If Jesus loves US more than his life dose not he love Us more than perverse will of a GODless person?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Catherine:

The "so what" is if God removed free will from our enemies we all would lost free will.

Free will is the gift God gave to mankind. We are made in the image of God and part of that image is the ability to choose.

God loves us so much that He gave us a part of Himself. God is love and He wants us to love Him. But, love cannot be forced, it must be chosen. Thus, we have free will to freely choose to love Him.

The risk is that while free will allows us to choose love, it also give us the ability to choose hate and to reject God. That is a risk that must be taken because is we have the ability to choose we have the ability to choose. If we do not have the ability to choose evil, then we do not have the ability to choose love.

Sin abuses that choice, that free will. Sin came into the world by the choice of Adam in the Garden. This was not God's choice, it was the consequences of man's choice. We reap the consequences of that choice.

Evil exists. Men sometimes choose to do evil things. God will not violate anyone's free will. He can't. If He did He would be a liar and God is not a liar.

Bad things happen to good people. That is the consequence of a sinful world. But, as God tells us, "fear not those who can harm your body, but fear Him who can send your soul to hell." (Luke 12:4-5).

What is important is not the safety of our body, but the safety of our soul. If bad things happen to us God can bring something good from it. God tells us that "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). This is God's promise and God is not a liar.

Even when major evil befalls us like rape, or murder of a loved one, God can bring something good out of that. He can use those experiences to strengthen our soul and spirits and even to strengthen others.

We must trust in God. As stated by Fr. Jordan Aumann in his definitive work, "Spiritual Theology":

God never wills positively and directly that which refers to evil, which God cannot will as such. But in his infinite goodness and wisdom God knows how to convert into good the evil that he permits, and that is why he permits it. Hence we manifest a lamentable shortsightedness when, in the the evils God permits to happen to us, we do not raise our eyes to heaven to adore God, who permits these for our greater good.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum