The eternal question: if there is no hope for good, how can there be a merciful, loving God? Aquinas Series..
Why evil? I am working on the Commentary on Job by Thomas Aquinas, found here. http://dhspriory.org/thomas/SSJob.htm
Here are some gleanings....
1) Because all men and women are given free will and the grace necessary for eternal life, and still some make bad decisions moving away from goodness and truth;
2) Because each one of us must be converted to God, moving ever closer to God, and this process demands suffering to take us away from sin and error;
3) Because, as St. Thomas states, there is an order in the universe set up by Divine Providence and each one of us must come to cooperate in that order; many do not;
4) Original Sin.....
5) Suffering points to the Resurrection and the Redeemer, Christ;
6) Because one moves from fear to love and suffering helps us to do that; if we focus on the Son of God Who was crucified; here is Aquinas on Job directly;
Since man’s good is threefold, namely of the body, of the soul, and
of external things, they are ordered to one another in such a way
that the body is for the sake of the soul whereas external things are
for the sake of the body and soul. Therefore, just as it is wrong if
someone intentionally subordinates the goods of the soul to the
advantage of external goods, so it is wrong if someone intentionally
subordinates the goods of the soul to the health of the body. And
indeed, that Job abounded in the practice of the virtues, which are
the goods of the soul, could be sensibly manifest to all.
To be continued...