Where is God during tragedies, such as 9/11 and the Holocaust?
Cameron—16 yr. Old

Dear Cameron:

Thank you for your question. One of the beauties of creation is that God gave us “free will”, which means, we, as human beings, make choices everyday about our lives. The Catechism of the Catholic Church in regard to Freedom and Responsibility #1730 states: “God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions.” #1739—”Mans freedom is limited and fallible . In fact, man failed. He freely sinned.” “From its onset, human history attests the wretchedness and oppression born of the human heart in consequence of the abuse of freedom.”

So those people involved in 9/11 or the Holocaust or any other tragic event made a choice to act as they did for their own purposes. Despite their faithlessness and the punishment they may rightfully deserve “God keeps steadfast love for all.” We know this because God went so far as to give up His only Son, Jesus, who died out of love for all of us. From the beginning of time God has interacted with His people, so, yes, God is there for us always even when we make poor choices He is always present and ready to accept us.

A further way of knowing God’s presence among us after such incidences is how others respond to these horrific events. God dwells in each of us. Look at the thousands of people who came forward to help with their expression of love from all over the world. Wouldn’t it be great if people responded to each other in genuine love before tragic events have to happen.

God Bless,
Fr. Bob