Why does God permit evil?

An answer came to me in prayer, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, and in the sorrows of my own life: God permits evil so that we may reject it and choose good.

A father's joy

My 11-year old son and I went to Mass this morning (Monday) because we were unable to receive Holy Communion yesterday, having missed the hour-long fast. I did tell him that it was not obligatory that he receive at every Sunday Mass, although it would be good whenever possible. He said he understood, but insisted that he wanted to receive today. This was no small thing because we would otherwise get up late during these school holidays.

Watching him serve at the altar, I was reflecting on his response to the Holy Spirit, on my fatherhood and that of God. A staunch Calvinist once asserted that there is no such thing as free will. What does this doctrine say about the goodness of God? The idea that He would limit his children to act only upon divine "programming" -- without free will -- is unthinkable (David Armstrong on soteriology and creation here).

Today my son responded to grace, I believe, and while the grace is God's, the will to respond was his. He is growing in faith, into an obedience of faith, and it is as joyous to behold as it is inspiring to me.

Christian free will, and the efficacious Word

More readings from today's Liturgy of the Hours that speak of our own participation in Christian living. To be precise, our participation in our sanctification, and, in the last reading, the promise of the here and now.

Mid-morning reading (Terce) 2 Corinthians 13:11 Brethren, be joyful. Try to grow perfect; help one another. Be united; live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Noon reading (Sext) Romans 6:22 Now you have been set free from sin, you have been made slaves of God, and you get a reward leading to your sanctification and ending in eternal life. Afternoon reading (None) Colossians 1:21 - 22 Not long ago, you were foreigners and enemies, in the way that you used to think and the evil things that you did; but now he has reconciled you, by his death and in that mortal body. Now you are able to appear before him holy, pure and blameless.

Keep the commandments

The following readings are from the Liturgy of the Hours today (from Universalis.com). It speaks once again about free will and resolve. There is no contradiction with the gospel when one considers that this speaks to those who already received the circumcision which consecrates us to the Lord: baptism. Having been baptized, we are already partakers of the Lord's Spirit which enables us to do these things. But like any other father, our Heavenly Father watches us eagerly, urging us on, beaming at our resolve and efforts, confident because we are growing by his training.

	Mid-morning reading (Terce) Deuteronomy 8:5 - 6
	The Lord your God was training you as a man trains his child. Keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and so follow his ways and reverence him.
	Noon reading (Sext) 1 Kings 2:2 - 3
	Be strong and show yourself a man. Observe the injunctions of the Lord your God, following his ways and keeping his laws, his commandments, his customs and his decrees, so that you may be successful in all you do and undertake.
	Afternoon reading (None) Jeremiah 6:16
	Put yourselves on the ways of long ago and enquire about the ancient paths: which was the good way? Take it then, and you shall find rest.

Free will in Scriptures

A Baptist I encountered online from years ago had once challenged me on his allegation that the notion of free will has no basis in Scripture. Here are a few verses from Scripture which are in today's Liturgy of the Hours that I think presuppose it:

	Mid-morning reading (Terce) 1 Peter 1:13 - 14
	Free your minds, then, of encumbrances; control them, and put your trust in nothing but the grace that will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Do not behave in the way that you liked to before you learnt the truth, but make a habit of obedience.
	Noon reading (Sext) 1 Peter 1:15 - 16
	Be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you, and scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy.
	Afternoon reading (None) James 4:7 - 10
	Give in to God: resist the devil, and he will run away from you. The nearer you go to God, the nearer he will come to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.

I think that Calvinist hearts are well-meaning when they seem to devalue human will while raising up the supreme majesty of God's will, but it backfires in the end since devaluating humanity ultimately devaluates its creator, which is God himself. There is nothing wrong in acknowledging the incredible creation of God, including humanity. What goes wrong is when we end up treating it as a substitute or something better than God himself. Otherwise, putting things in perspective, we cannot but wonder and echo the Psalmist who exclaims, "you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor!" Among the wondrous works that the Creator wrought unto man is choice, which unfortunately cuts both ways: in our ability to choose life, we also have the ability to choose death. But God does not abandon us. As he invites us to begin with, he offers us his own Spirit, and by grace, he raises us up as a Father raises up his child: teaching, correcting, nurturing. As his child, he has the same aspirations for us as any father would: that we would truly grow up unto the fullness of our being. As he had planned from the very beginning.

The wedding feast of Heaven

Today's readings also include the parable of the wedding feast from Matthew 22:1-14. As our university chaplain explained today with a chuckle, there's nothing wrong in itself with tending your farm or business. But such harmless activities must not become more important than the kingdom of Heaven -- in which case they do become idols. Something else that caught my attention was a man not wearing the festal garment. Two questions come up for me: why was this man punished for this, and why did the Lord see fit to include this man in his parable? My Bible commentary goes thus:

You, Christians, who are already inside the Church, do you wear the new garment — a life of justice, honesty and trustworthiness? Let us not believe that the surprised guest who was not properly dressed for the occasion was some kind of poor person. No, for it was customary during those times to supply all guests with the robe they should wear at the banquet. This one could ahve put on the robe but did not, so he had nothing to answer.

I think St. Paul's words in Romans 12:1-2, I think from today's morning prayer (from the common of women saints religious: St. Rose of Lima) are appropriate here:

I beg you, by the mercy of God, to offer yourselves as a living and holy sacrifice, pleasing to God; this is the worship of a rational being. Don't let yourselves be shaped by the world where you live, but rather be transformed through the renewal of your mind. You must discern the will of God: what is good, what pleases, what is perfect.

It is not lost on me that St. Paul's imperative (if that is the term for it) words are confronting: our choice is before us — and he begs that we choose wisely. We have been brought into the banquet, the festal garment is ours to wear, but we must put it on — keep it on.

We have come into the banquet. Though we will never ourselves be worthy, we have been gathered and brought into the hall — purely by grace. The robe of the feast is ours to wear. Let us not be so foolish as to take it off.