Expert: Edward Bode - 8/11/2005

Question
A most loving Christian boy was just killed in Iraq one day after his 19th birthday. He read the 91st Psalm every day for comfort. (You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day). That psalm clearly promises protection to God's faithful, doesn't it? How can I reconcile those words with what actually happened to this boy, whom I know was faithful to God? How can I explain that to his parents?  

Answer
To understand the mystery of evil requires the infinite mind of God, who in his wisdom and love created a world entrusted to intelligent beings capable of great evils.
I would understand the Psalm as a plea for length of life but in implicit surrender to the infinite wisdom and love of God, which appear in other psalms.
What would have happened to the soldier in Iraq if he had returned home?  I remember the Proverb verses that speak of a man who ran into his house to escape a wild animal and was stung by a scorpion.
Andrew, probably no one can explain to the parents why what happened did happen.  We do trust in the infinite wisdom and love of God that He will continue to write straight with so many crooked lines.
I am not a homilist but hope these thoughts are of some help.  Let us all pray for the deceased and his family.
Best wishes.