Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen? 

Facing my wife having open heart surgery today, she is weak, 90 days ago our son died in a car accident. This video popped on screen when I opened you tubr

My only son, my infant son, Memphis died a little more than a day after his birth. I have struggled so intensely with understanding where my Heavenly Father was during my most desperate prayers that day, and in many days since. Brothers and sisters in Christ, please pray for me

Just found out at 52 that I don’t have a great life expectancy. I am the sole parent of 3 special needs biological children. I desperately need prayers for our family. Not for me, my children. I don’t have financial means to leave them set. I know that God is listening 🙏🏻May God’s peace be with you all 🙏🏻✝️

"even in the midst of the worst evil he can bring about a greater good" so beautiful

Prayers for that baby who is in heaven and the mother who lost her most precious. God, help everyone who have sufferings of their own

I am not a Catholic Christian BUT this is the BEST EXPLANATION I HAVE EVER HEARD to the all time hard question of "Why does God let bad things happen to good people?" Thank you so much. I am passing this on!

My girlfriend died this morning of epilepsy... I keep on asking WHY?? but no answer...and this popped up on my RU-vid🙏

My mother went in for a routine hip surgery now she is dealing with a terrible infection that's threatening her life! I feel like my mother's faith is being tested. Mines as well. I lost my dad when i was 17 it was the worst pain i had felt up until that moment. Losing my mother will take my whole heart away. Prayers are needed for my family..

I lost my mentor a few weeks ago. He became the first father I ever had. And I've been in shambles. I know he is with God. Thank you for this video

I really needed this video. I told a close friend years ago that my father was very abusive and she told me it was "God's plan" and I got so mad I actually fell away from my faith for a few years. I am back now and happier than ever. But please never tell someone who went through something awful this!!! It's so flawed. Received some really bad news that shook me today and this video helped me calm down. Your words really bring me peace every day.

My Dad had a stroke, and then we learned a month later that he had late stage cancer. It was such a life changing journey with him to the end.

I'm neither Catholic nor Christian, but Father Mike has something to him that makes me want to keep watching his videos.

Please pray for those who do not understand this.

My perfectly healthy baby son has brought me to tears more than I could have ever imagined over the past nine months that my wife and I have been blessed with. Every time I hear of something tragic happening to a child, specifically a baby, I break down thinking of the helpless son or daughter and the nightmare it was for the father and mother. It makes me want to drop what I am doing, rush to where my wife and son are and hold the little dude and kiss him.

I'm not Catholic (I'm a non denominational Christian) but I just wanna say you speak the truth. I've watched several of your vids and am kinda obsessed now, haha

It’s so easy to say this and hear about this. But the hardest part is to actually living in that bad situation

This made more sense to me than most of the arguments I've heard in the past.

I’m here after Kobe died, it’s really tough Rest in Paradise legend 🙏🏾🙏🏾 This video helped a lot

This is a thoroughly good man and an excellent priest. Thank you for being a model of what a Catholic priest ought to be

Why am I crying... this channel is absolutely beautiful... everyone needs to watch at least one of his videos and just listen..... thank you for sharing the words of God. God bless you and everyone who sees this

I appreciate an honest "I don't know" rather than "it's not what he intended, but what he allowed to happen. "I have to believe God is good so he must be" is more cognitive dissonance than a good explanation.

Fr. Mike I lost my husband and in 2017 I lost my parents and my son. Never once I was mad at God or blame Him for it.

Don't give up. GOD knows what He is doing. Trust in Him ! GOD bless all of you !!!

I’m very new on my path to Christ, this explanation touched me in a deep way 💜 I watched my sister fight a painful war with cancer and pass away. I struggled with understanding this concept of God’s will and suffering. This actually really illuminated things for me. Thank you

I lost my son at 36 days old 5 years ago he died from sids 4/1/2014 😭 it's still been hard on my family and even thought my kids and I believe and praise God my boyfriend / father of my kids needs prayer to help him understand and have an open heart to follow Christ with us. Please pray he finds peace with God and one day acccpets him as his lord and savior

I needed this, now, at this very moment, and I found it by accident. Thank you Father Schmitz. My husband was in a tragic accident in October of 2016 where he nearly lost his life and is still fighting to keep his leg. This was after us losing our first pregnancy and still having no avail to get pregnant again. We've felt like we've suffered so much and for so long that it has brought us close to question...but this has helped me today. Thank you.

My mother's sickness, me having to quit my job, and my father's death all happened within a few months. I was in a lot of pain, stress, and grief. It has been 3 years since those events, and now, I am glad that God has called me back so I can grow in my faith. I've learned a lot about myself in these last years, and now, I'm yearning to know and understand more about God. Praise God! Thank you, Father Mike!

I'm trying...right now I am trying...REALLY trying to grasp this...to understand and internalize this. Right now, 6:13 AM, as my dear wife sleeps, she's dealing with Stage 4 breast cancer. I am a believer and her husband. I'm scared....terrified actually. I do not know what to say when she looks at me and asked me WHY. I am nt mad at God...I just do not understand and I WANT to understand. Thank you for this video and thank you for not taking the easy road and saying, well, it's a broken world. I will continue to pray. To ask others for their prayers. I will continue to ask why and I will continue to surrender, the best I can, to Jesus.

My two years old son died in 2012. For those who lost someone, I’ll like to say that I understand what your are saying and feeling. You’re not alone. When I asked god WHY my little one had to die, I got an answer. God had created a very complex and rich world. Tribulation and fatality makes part of it. Like the poker game, we come to this life with a bundle of cards. Is not about what cards you have, is about how you play these cards. We valorise our life in material terms... but if we change that view to an eternal and transcendental one, some calamities that we may experience gets a new sense. we have to experience the sadness, the lose, the love.. all these are part of THIS life. But remember what Jesus said: “All wounds will be healed”. I love you all. Bye.

You make very sweet videos. As an atheist I'd rather see religious people as yourself speaking. You seem to have common sense...at least as far as religion goes. Keep being sweet ❤

I am not a Catholic but this is the most revealing video I have watched. Thank you for the reassurance in my Christian Faith.

Right on time, again, Father Mike. Ive just suffered two tragedies, and I feel totally broken. Your words are so healing. Ive got to listen to this again and again. I actually took my first deep breath. Thank you.

I really appreciate this video, Fr. Schmitz. Having faced several family tragedies in recent years, I misplaced much of my anger and emotion towards God, in part because of this repeated sentiment that tragedy is always 'part of God's plan.' Realizing that this is not the case and that I am not just losing people as punishment, made my relationship with God make so much more sense.

I think I understand. If god continually changed things then there would be nothing. Like a writer who keeps changing the story or a director who keeps altering scenes. While writing or directing they are all powerful and can put anything they want on paper or film. But eventually they have to give up control in order to have a completed book/movie.

Sometimes God talk to me through RU-vid Suggestion video

Father Mike,i thank the Lord for giving you the wisdom and desire to help people by explaining things that are difficult for us ordinary people.Thank you so much and i will continue to pray that you will never get tired with what you are doing.

Thank you for the video. Many years ago, after the loss of our second child, a Protestant minister told me that they died because God was punishing for the way I was living. It took quite a long time to get beyond those painful words. Eventually I ended up as a Catholic, which is certainly one my better decisions

Fr. Mike. I think this is your greatest message I've heard this far. God bless you!!!

Thanks Fr. Mike this really opened my mind and heart. Coming from a medical profession many of my colleagues question their faith in God because of what they see on a daily basis and even some conclude that there isn't a God. It's usually hard for me to explain why my faith still stands but your video has given me more reason to stand by my faith.

It's to test our faith in how much love and trust we have in him Amen 🙏🌈☘️❤️

I ask this question often. When i was the first year student in University. I got my first "F mark" ( it means i fail) i cried alot i even wanna yell and be angry with God. But i think i had better pray than do that wrong thing. I started to pray more when i was in Uni. When i was in the second year i studied that subject again and you know the test even hard than the first year. I think i will fail again. I was back home pray very much i cried with God hope God help me pass this subject i pray many many hours a day and talk and cried with God and Mother Maria. Finally i passed( 4 is pass and i 4,1 hahaha) . I cant believe that God hear me. I think this is not a big problem but for me thats really divine. You know how much hard i prayed. Now i graduated i have 4 friends and i am the one have the highest mark in 5 people but i am still unemployed ( 4 of my friends havr jobs already) but i believe God will give me a right and stable jobs. I will pray more and more i will never give up my religion. Im a catholic and i love it Sorry for my bad english i am an asian so thats bad

So happy you mentioned this topic!

The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. Those that fall, we can help up. Those that we cause to fall, we learn from, hopefully and give us the opportunity to grow into better people. We are here to love God and God is here to love us, but by loving us, he has to teach us how to appriciate this life, to take the good with the bad. When you can be thankful For the Pain, that you Get to be here to experience it, you're on the right track. And mind you, this is from someone who has lost a child to cancer and is currently homeless. Life is hard, to say the least. But i am grateful for each and evéry breath that God allows me to have here.

That is one of the best explanation I have ever heard in my life about this subject. Thank you father for a beautiful explanation. Bless you🙏

I needed this today. This brought me a lot of peace.

Thank you Father Mike!! I lead a Bible Study every Wednesday(for teenagers) and I ALWAYS go to your videos for inspiration:) Since the Corona Virus outbreak, I have been completely down and out about things, and your videos have REALLY lifted my spirits:) THANK YOU:)

You're the best Fr. Mike, thank you for helping me grow in my faith over the last few years

God never promised us a beautiful life 🙏 but that he would never leave us nor forsake us, look at Job, David, nothing everything is from God even though he's the easiest one to blame. But turning away when you need him the most is something we shouldn't do. Draw closer we always ask and sometimes there are no answers. He loves unconditionally. ❤️

Thank you Father Mike, for your AWESOME Clear messages and HOPE with our faith as you post your videos. May God Richly Bless you and your Ministry!

Thank you so much for this, Father Mike. My hearts been broken since my dad passed in June and ahhhh definitely needed to hear this right now. God bless!

SO RELEVANT TODAY! So relevant... God Bless humanity in this COVID times....

I lost several members of my family so this video helps.

WOW! This was amazing. You have a lot of wisdom. I am not a Catholic, but am a believer and this video is so helpful and one that I will return to often.

Beautiful brother! I have always thought this way..it makes me feel good to see a Catholic priest sees this in the bible as well..those who have ears let them hear ! God bless you for what you do brother!

A year ago, my grandpa passed away. He was one of the most important figures in my life, and it absolutely broke my heart. At the same time, I was going through a break up, my grades were slipping, and my best friends were distancing from me. All I could ask is why? It's a year now, and I've never been more grateful and happier for the life I live. For those struggling right now, it really does get better. Patience and timing is key, and God will bring you a joy that will take all your pain away. Stay strong

THIS is the argument people need to hear. Catholicism provides the most coherent answers for questions such as these. Thank you Fr. Mike for this! God bless you.

I personally really got a lot of these video. Thank you so much for making it, God bless you!

I've always believed God willingly allows bad things to temper us into becoming better people because, while this world is important to us while we are here, in the big picture it's not nearly as important as the next world. Logically, God must desire to get as many of us as possible into heaven once we leave this momentary "waiting room" we call life. To illustrate this perspective, put yourself in a situation where you are tending a lower life form. If you are a chicken farmer, would you be more concerned with the appearance of the egg or the chicken that hatches from the egg? If an egg has an imperfection, it doesn't matter so long as the chick comes out okay. When a we suffer in this life, we need to keep focused on the important thing: making sure our soul comes out okay once our earthly "shell" finally cracks open.

God bless you Father Mike

I wish all videos on this channel would be subtitled in multiple languages ​​so that this content can reach as many people around the world God bless you😇

That truth was so beautiful it made me cry.

“Freedom is the greater good” so true. It reminded me of the novel Brave New World. I would much rather be free than having everything perfect.

Five years later, this is still so relevant. Thank you

Your messge just made me cry but also gives me hope. This world is so hard

Wow I'll have to listen to this over and over again.thank you! I tend to blame God sometimes whenever I go through hard times in my life although that has considerably reduced the more I grow spiritually because this verse always pops up in my mind, it reminds me that Jesus came to give me abundant life and that He will create abundance out of that situation and restore everything the devil stole,destroyed and killed in my life John 10: 10. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Thank you Father.... when you put your entire trust in God, then he protects you. Not alot of catholics understand this.

Finally after all your RU-vid presentations, you said something that makes sense. Keep it up.

Bingo! Everything Fr Mike says rings so true.

“God deems the retention of our freedom as a greater good.” That truly hit me in the gut. My grandma passed away a few months ago and this video helped me with closure and understanding God.

I’m that parent who lost my newborn son to an accident and I’ve been struggling to understand why this happened to us while not becoming completely nihilistic at the same time. This is one of the best explanations I’ve come across. It didn’t make sense to me no matter how much I tried to accept that it was God’s will. No good and loving God would will a perfectly healthy five-month old to suddenly die. Thank you Father for your perfect explanation. I feel much more at peace now after hearing this and I think I can finally start to move on from the asking, “Why did this happen to me?” phase and start living my life in a way that God would want me to. Although there is nothing good about losing your firstborn child, I can only hope and keep the faith that God’s plan is at work in my life and there will be some light at the end of this long dark tunnel.

thank you Fr. Mike. I always understood that God loves us sooooo much that he gave us this freedom and we choose what to do with it. I never put into perspective with this freedom how things are allowed to happen for the greater good. mind blown! God bless us all.

Thank you Father Mike because I really have been struggling with my faith because of the suffering of seen in the world thank you for helping us understand God

Thanks Father Mike

FINALLY!! Thank you Father - now I have someone to back me up on this. I've been trying to explain this people for years.... ever since my first miscarriage. Each time someone would say that to me - it caused me additional intense pain. I've been trying to explain this Truth to so many...I'm not as handsome and well spoken as you. (which is good cause I'm a woman..) But just the same - Thank you for this recording. I hope to share it with many others! I'll be praying for that couple that lost their daughter - how tragic.

Thank you again Father Mike. May God continue to bless your ministry on RU-vid.🙏🙂

Thank you so much. I never knew this… I’ve been so mad at God even though I didn’t really know why… but I’m in tears now. I need forgiveness desperately.

Thank you for this🙏🏾💕

thankyou sooo much for making this video! I've been questioning this for quite some time now. especially recently and no one seems to give a good answer for it. one that I can completely understand. so thankyou soooo much! this realky helped me! :)

Thank you for your words.

That's why you guys go to the seminary. So you can turn around and give us hopeful truths. Thank you.

God bless you Father🙏🏼

I always thought of the “it’s all part of God’s plan” condolence as kind of a shallow response to tragedy. It feels cheap and not genuine.

Father this is quite possibly the best talk I've ever heard, very enlightening. I feel like this is something I've always known on some level, but have grappled with, thank you for speaking with such clarity on the subject 🙌🙏

Thank you Father for sharing God's tender knowledge!

When God is not responsible for bad things, He should not be given credit of good happenings.....

I pray for my uncle (Job) who died today😭😭 and also pray for my father (Jushon n areng) May his soul rest in peace 🕊️😭 i command his and father spirit to Jesus Christ and Lord 🙏🙏❤️

Thank you god, I was mad at got because I felt that he allowed for me to do something bad and I blamed him and called god a liar for not promising me that he would protect me and others around me. Now I know I was wrong and God was right. 🙏✝️

You are put on this earth to be either the teacher, the student or the lesson. Blessed are those that can attain all three.

When reading the Holy Bible and when listening to homilies from Pastors and Priests and when listening to the many and varied scriptures read at Holy Mass (and other Church services) anyone can plainly understand that God sometimes miraculously intervenes (we cry "yay for God"). The miraculous examples are plentiful (and so enticing and desirous). BUT conversely we also plainly understand that God has a permissive will. Which is simply a way of saying "God lets things happen as they happen". Good and Evil (we cry "yay God" for the good and "Booooooo God" for the Evil). So often (the norm) God allows reality to conform to physical laws. For example - a man picks up a knife with murderous intent and kills someone. God could intervene and stop this sinful slaughter but mostly He doesn't. The Apostle and great Evangelist and author of a huge chunk of the New Testament (inspired by the Holy Spirit) teaches people "all is permissible but not all is beneficial". St Paul himself has performed interventionist miracles (that little kid who fell out of a second story window and St Paul prays and brings him back to life ("Yay"!!!!!!). But mostly God allows (gives His permission) fallen out of window kids to die (or survive damaged "yay and Booooooo"). What most of us want is God (from our very limited perspective) to allow evil to happen to evil people and good to happen to good people because most of us (me included) naively believe that we are good and those "other people" are evil. This thinking is known as DUALISM (either/or thinking - black or white thinking). Reading the Book of Job puts an end to that delusion. Job was a very very very good person and all sorts of evil happens to him (with God's permission). The most obvious example of evil happening to a good person is Jesus (who said "only God is good"). What we learn from Jesus is that God is good but people are not safe from evil (Jesus included). In the vile mistreatment, perpetual misunderstanding, betrayal and brutal crucifixion of Jesus we find our (Yes OUR) evil doing it's worst. The very best of kindhearted and good willed people treated in the worst and most shameful way. God does not intervene. Not in the way we would have Him intervene. But see this - God takes our worst sin and saves us through it. God takes the evil and does good with it (thats the core of God's nature - His heart - His Will). And God promises that He always does this saying plainly "They (anyone with evil intent - including me and you) meant it for evil but I meant it for good". God says this of brothers who betray their own brother and sell him into slavery (Joseph - the technicolour coat bloke - Son of Jacob). God used that evil to feed many many people when a famine hit (ironically the betraying brothers end up starving and come to their own brother and he feeds them - it's a beautiful and God blessed twist in that tale. And in this we find God is doing the very same with us - though we sin (concupiscence - willing sin) God forgives and does good with our sin. But if God intervened and stopped sin from happening we would all be dead. Because we all sin. God intervenes with miracles sometimes but mostly through His grace he does good with the evil we do. Even allowing (His permissive will) Adam and Eve to decide freely to partake of the fruit from the Tree of Evil and Good is GOD'S evident GRACE. God does not kill Adam and Eve but God loves them. He saves them through them (Jesus is a Son Of Adam). All evil comes to Jesus who is good. Jesus takes that evil and does the very best of good with it - He saves us through our sin. What this clearly shows us is God is intimately involved in evil happening. For God allows evil to happen to Him. He is not distant or separate from those who are effected by sin but is right there, intimately involved. What happens to us (and all of fallen creation) is happening to God. In the example Father gives above God is in the baby who falls and dies. God is in the grieving Parents. God is in the pain and suffering and loss - just as God is in joy and celebration and life abundant. When we do evil to each other and to Holy Creation we do evil to God. God mostly does not intervene but does good with our evil. But please understand the evil happens to God. King David is right when he laments in beautiful honestly "I have sinned against You alone Lord". King David understood better than most do, that the evil he did (and he did really really evil things) to others he had done to God. And David cries out for forgiveness and grace because David knew that if God had intervened David would be dead. God says "David had a heart for God". God also says "In Jesus all people (although they do evil) can too "have a heart for God". God allows evil (for now) but always does good with it. We often do not understand it. St Paul says "we see through foggy windows". We try to understand the mind and heart of God but it is too hard for us. Jesus asks everyone to do good to fight evil. jesus says "God does good with evil" and asks us to have "faith and hope and love" in God. St Paul warns "do not do evil so God can do good". That is vile and sinful thinking. He also warns "do not do evil so God can show grace". That too is vile thinking. For jesus said "each day has enough evil in it already - don't add to it".

Excellent!!!!!

This has to be the BEST answer to this age old question that I have ever heard. Thank you.

No matter how many times I reconcile this question to myself and never truly goes away. But at least it makes me engage God more

Deep. Truly deep. Thank you and God Bless you Father Mike.

I am soooo glad to hear that bad things really aren't part of Gods plan. I also hate it when people say that it is, no it isn't , He give us all free will and sometimes we make bad choices and that leads to things happening that aren't that great .

Thank you, Father. This clarified a lot for me and others between His ordained and permitted Will. God bless you.

My grandmothers siblings are passing away one by one and she’s Catholic. I feel so terrible because she refuses to tell anyone about it. I can’t her passing away or being just a shell, I regret every single time I got mad at her. She’s been through so much I can’t possible imagine it all. My mother used to tell me that God took the people he needed at that time, but hearing this makes a lot more sense. Thank you

Such an amazing video too. My wife struggles with trust in God from her childhood and this video has helped. Thank you so much

God showed an amazing amount of mercy when he put Adam and Eve out of the garden because they could not have the knowledge of good and evil and have access to the tree of life as well (eternal life) in that form. We lost a grandchild 6 years ago at 4 months of age. But I knew it wasn't God that done this in fact the thought I had was God knows the pain of seeing a son die. 1 day all things will be made new until then love God and your neighbour because God and His Son love you!

I'm not catholic or anything but you've got a really comforting presence

Thank you Father Mike. We love your videos and God bless you!