God and misfortunes

This article by Costi Bendaly addresses the theological problem of the compatibility between a God of love and the existence of misfortune in the world. Proceeding through a reasoned study, drawing on scriptural, patristic and philosophical references, the author sets out to refute traditional responses that make God the source or accomplice of evil. He first establishes that God, entirely good and Father of every human being, cannot be the origin of calamities nor send them as punishment. He then shows that evil stems from the ontological contingency of creation, drawn from nothingness and marked by its traces. Far from being a spectator, God shares in the suffering of the universe — as witnessed by the cross of Christ — and works tirelessly, along the lines of creation and redemption, to lead the world toward its fulfillment. The contribution of the article is to propose, from an Orthodox perspective, a theodicy that preserves both divine dignity and human dignity, without concealing the irreducible nature of the mystery.