However, those who believe in God wonder, too, wonder why God allowed these
disasters to happen.
The first few lines of
John 9,
As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that
he was born blind?"
Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works
of God might be made visible through him.
Here Jesus denies that parents' sins were visited upon their children and
emphasizes the purpose: the infirmity was providential. Disasters are
providential. The cause of which can only be known by God who sees all things
and all eternity. The cause of which is certainly beyond our understanding who
see only the things around us in our own time.
Psalm 31:13-15 says it best:
13 I am forgotten, out of mind like the dead; I am like a shattered dish.
14 I hear the whispers of the crowd; terrors are all around me. They
conspire against me; they plot to take my life.
15 But I trust in you, LORD; I say, "You are my God."
There are three Catholic virtues:
Faith: Believe and trust in God before we are put to a test.
Hope: Patience is paramount and often wanting from those of us who are in
distress.
Charity: Above all be generous to those in need.