Catholic Stories of Faith and Hope

With the past year we have gone through one of the big questions on the mind of many is simply “why”? Why all the suffering? This is a question that has been around for many, many years. The bigger question is why does a loving God allow pain and suffering?  Steve Hemler tackles this question in his latest book Catholic Stories of Faith and Hope: How God Brings Good out of Suffering.

This book you may find challenging not in its presentation, Steve writes in a very down to earth style, but rather in its subject matter. Many of us struggle with the topic of suffering, pain, and the inevitable topic of death. But rest assured after you come to the final pages of this book you deeper understanding and appreciation for suffering. At the end of the day sometimes you just have to walk through fire to experience paradise.

Steve has divided the book into three parts. Each opens with a chapter written by Steve to give some insight into the overarching topic of that section. What follows these explanatory chapters are stories Steve has collected over the years from real life people experiencing real life challenges. All of these stories contain one common thread. Hope for us all. As the saying goes misery enjoys company. By sharing their stories each of these contributors serves the reader well. They are shining examples that good can grow out of suffering…..if only we let it.

The first part of the book, is Suffering from Disease and Natural Disasters. A few years ago we watched in horror as Louisiana was pummeled by hurricanes. I can remember the devastation in the 80s from the massive earthquake that rocked the San Francisco Bay area. More recently we have had to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The death and destruction left in each of the paths of these events leave many scratching their heads in bewilderment  As Steve points out during all of these and other such events God is not necessarily punishing mankind. Rather these circumstances offer up opportunities to grow closer to God.

The second part of the book covers Suffering Caused by Evil Human Behavior. Unfortunately, there are people in our world with terrible motives and who make equally terrible decisions. This behavior is an inherent trait of our free will. Bad decisions have been around since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and Cain killed Abel. This is an important distinction to make. God doesn’t allow the evil actions. He allows each of us to make our decisions and not be slaves to do his bidding.

Part three of the book discusses Suffering and the Purpose of Life. At some point in our lives we will search inwardly in an attempt to answer two big questions; why are we here and what is our purpose. With due diligence we will discover the answer to each of those questions but we need to learn a key practice. Formulating and leaning on a close personal relationship with Christ.

The three parts of the book are solid in their apologetics and Steve does a great job in making his points in an approachable manner. What really completes this book are the personal stories. These stories offer hope and serve as valuable insights on how suffering can have positive outcomes long-term.

Sometimes we just need something to shock us into reality. We stray and need pulled back into the loving arms of our Father.  Yes these situations are terrible and pain and grief accompany of them. We must pause during these times of suffering and consider the overarching story of salvation history. God wants to welcome us home at our last breath. We should take these circumstances as an opportunity to grow in our faith and holding tight to hope. In the end our reward will be eternal.

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.