why is there evil?

“God either cannot or will not prevent evil. If God cannot prevent evil, then God is limited in power. If God will not prevent evil, then God is limited in benevolence. But if God is not limited in power or benevolence, why is there evil in the world?”

What is evil? I personally define evil as anything that causes pain and suffering. Where in the world do these evils come from? I found that most of the evils I thought of trace their way to the free choices that people make. Evils that cause so much human suffering such as oppression, discrimination, violence and wars all began from a choice. A choice gave rise to all these evils and I think that a choice can also diminish it.

God endowed man with the gift of freedom. He also gave man reason to guide him in the use of his freedom. In what way and for what purpose that man will use his freedom, God respects. Even if man will use his freedom to draw himself farther away from God, God will continue to respect that choice. As Fr. Alfeo Nudas S.J. put it, "God gave us free will even if we will use that free will to slap the face of God." God is that good and He loves man that much. However, man is imperfect. Although he has reason to guide him, he still makes fallible choices. It’s just part of being human.

What about evils that do not trace their roots to human choice, where do these evils come from? Natural calamities like tsunamis, earthquakes as well as diseases and epidemics cause pain and suffering but are not rooted in human choices. How can all-loving God permit such pain and suffering? I think that God permits this kind of suffering, even though He can prevent it, for a purpose which is way beyond my comprehension. I can only infer of such purpose but I am not certain.

Thinking of evil, pain and suffering, I can’t help myself from thinking about Jesus Christ. He shares the divinity of God yet He allowed Himself to be subjected to the severest of pain. He could have avoided all that, as He is capable of anything, but He just accepted it. As a believer of Christ, I am encouraged to take on a similar attitude towards pain and suffering. I found that there is also good in pain. The beauty in pain is that it is directed towards a grand purpose. In the life of Jesus Christ, pain was part and parcel of the grand scheme of salvation. In human life, I infer that God permits pain to make us good people and to eventually make the free choice of reciprocating God’s love.