Why is There Evil in the World?

This question goes to the heart of many teens’ concerns about God. If God is all-good, then why is there evil?

First of all, there are two kinds of evil: moral evil, which is sin, and physical evil, which encompasses accidents, disasters from nature, illnesses, and the like. Moral evil comes from original sin, our own free actions, the devil or Satan, and something called mysterium iniquitatis, or “mystery of evil”.

Original sin brought about a change in all human beings (except the Blessed Virgin Mary), in that “all have sinned” as St. Paul says in Romans. We suffer the consequences of being more inclined to do evil, which is called concupiscence. Our free will is weakened in its powers. We tend to choose what gives us a short-term selfish benefit. Yes, the devil does exist and envies us. Satan does what he can to turn us from God. John Paul the Great wrote in his book Memory and Identity: “The way in which evil grows from the pure soil of good is a mystery.” Read more in the Catechism, paragraphs 385-412.

Know your faith. Live your faith. Teach your faith.