May 9, 2008
What is God’s will for when a person will die?
by Father John Dietzen
At the funeral Mass for a young father, the priest maintained the man’s death came at the time God willed. It seems, if that is true, God not merely knows but actually determines when an individual will die. On abortion, however, the Church seems to say the opposite. The fact that these children could be saved suggests that God does not decide when life will end. Was the priest right?
Theoretically, God’s will could work in different ways. He could decide everything on the spur of the moment, choosing whatever seems likely to make someone happy, or at least less unhappy. That would make all creation rather haphazard and unpredictable, but I suppose it’s possible.
In the real world that actually exists, however, God’s will is most manifest in the way God created this universe, how from scratch He makes it "work." Every movement of every galaxy and every subatomic particle and everything in between takes place within the framework of God’s creative order and harmony.
The inventor of the gasoline engine, for example, created nothing new. He merely discovered (uncovered) something that was there all the time, but which people didn’t know about. If you combine carbon atoms with atoms of other elements in a proper structure, put the results under pressure and ignite it, the mixture will explode and expand to move an engine’s piston.
All creation is like that. Cancer cells and the AIDS virus are disastrous for us, but when they destroy parts of our bodies they are only acting according to their nature. Like gasoline molecules, they are doing what their created makeup says they should do.
Cancer research in fact is based on the expectation that specific molecules and cells will act in a certain way. One avenue scientists take is to find exactly what that way is, and then introduce other substances that will, they hope, attack and destroy the cancer. They have to rely on the fact that God will not intrude into His creation every so often to "fix His mistakes."
We’re not accustomed to thinking about the Earth this way. But God’s will for humans and everything else is written into the way the universe is created. It may sound unfeeling to put it this way, but when a train hits a human person, God does not step in at that moment and decide it’s time for the victim to die. It’s just reality, what happens when two such bodies collide.
As I said, God could involve Himself in every event in creation, manipulating cancer cells, for instance, so they don’t destroy one’s liver or ovaries. If God did that routinely, it would destroy all predictability in nature, all possibility of knowledge and intelligent use of the things around us on Earth and beyond.
It seems to me we need a lot of humility here. Personal tragedies and calamities cause us great anguish, but we can come to accept and believe that God’s particular plan for placing equilibrium and harmony in this world, even when it causes pain, is for our greatest good and happiness while we are in this life and after we leave it.
What I have said points to the terrible evil behind all killing. Whether we speak of unborn infants, the old and the sick, or the convicted criminal, to deliberately and unnaturally end a human life is beyond arrogance.
It is a dreadful violation of God’s providential will for each of his children. That divine will is not capricious or fickle. It permeates and is disclosed by the creation He has given us to live in.
A free brochure answering questions Catholics ask about Mary, the mother of Jesus, is available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Father John Dietzen, Box 3315, Peoria, IL 61612.
Father Dietzen is a priest of the Peoria, Ill., Diocese who writes a weekly question-answer column distributed by Catholic News Service. Address questions for him to answer through CNS at Father John Dietzen, Box 3315, Peoria, IL 61612 or by e-mail at jjdietzen@aol.com.
Address questions of a general natural about the Catholic faith to Dear Father, St. Louis Review, 20 Archbishop May Drive, St. Louis, MO 63119. You can also fax them to (314) 792-7534 or send by e-mail to slre view@stlouisreview.com. One question at a time, please.
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