In silence and in hope shall your strength be (Isaias 30:15).

In his letter ‘Nature and God’ (December 22), the author, in his most masterly and inimitable way, rightly claims that the death of children is the most cruel, insensible and horrible thing that could happen in this world and certainly a strong argument against the attribute of a loving God.

Nobody can really explain that conundrum and whatever is written about the subject does not come an inch nearer the reason why this happens. However, a tinge of faith can clarify and alleviate the complexity of this dilemma.

Anything I scribble here has flowered from some appropriate books I consulted and assuming that what is wrong for us is wrong for God.

Technically, nobody is truly innocent. The Bible says in Psalm 51 we are all born in sin, that is with the propensity to rebel and commit wrongdoing. God’s sovereignty over life also comes into this. God created life and He has the right to take it.

It is hard for anyone to digest that suffering is compatible with God’s love. Suffering in itself is nothing but suffering shared with Christ’s passion is a wonderful gift (Mother Teresa).

God entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He laid aside his immunity to pain and suffered for us. Thus, our sufferings become more manageable in light of His and is God’s only self-justification in such a world of ours.

Who can understand God’s proselytisation? This has not covered the pain and death of children and we remain in horrified incomprehension. 

However, the following quotation can be of some spiritual balm and help understand this mystery: “For we have not a high priest who cannot have compassion on our infirmities, but one tried as we are in all things except sin” (Jews 4:15).

Sadness and acceptance of the cross, peace and love are everlasting for people of goodwill and, more so, for Christians. In any case, agnostics have no solution for similar circumstances but believers can, at least, cling to the consolation of religion and the gift of faith.

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