I'm not addressing the issue of why God "allows" the existence of suffering and sadness. Books have been written on this topic and my short explanations would seem trite. However, God has a way of bringing good from sorrow, suffering and evil. But how?
Human beings are naturally positive beings and we find value in courage and perseverance. Fortitude is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who brings beauty from ashes. Isaiah 6:13. "The world we live in often seems very far from the one promised us by faith. Our experiences of evil and suffering, injustice, and death, seem to contradict the Good News; they can shake our faith and become a temptation against it." Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 164. When faced with pain, we must look to the witnesses of faith. Salvation history is a series of people who suffered and persevered; these are the people we look to as examples. They let God shine through their pain to impact the world in ways we could never imagine. We can have the same impact when we persevere through suffering and sorrow.
No one wishes to suffer. Even Christ begged the Father to avoid suffering: "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." Matthew 26:39. (Certainly Jesus knew what was coming, but perhaps He said that to show us His human nature.) Would we appreciate the gift of the Incarnation if He had not suffered and died? Can you measure the good that has come to the world from Christianity?
Good is already beginning to shine through the untimely celebrity death I mentioned at the beginning. Awareness of the impacts of depression, an understanding of the causes of suicide and the impacts of Parkinson's disease are just a few good things that are emerging. Who knows how many lives will be transformed (or saved) as a result of this heartbreaking death?
God's will be done.
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God's will be done.
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