Life may seem like a puzzle

I like puzzles. One of my first memories of my family is sitting around a card table putting a jigsaw puzzle together. I’m working on a 1,000 piece puzzle right now with the title “Route 66.” I also enjoy doing Sudoku puzzles in my spare time.

This makes me think about how life may seem like a puzzle. Mysteries all around us. Questions like why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there so much suffering and hatred in this world? My father died in June and it brings up the question of the pain of losing someone, and why God allows this.

The book of Romans, especially chapter 8, has answers to these questions. St. Paul writes, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us…24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

“26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

“28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:18-28

There are times in our lives when we can look back and see how true this is, that all things have worked together for good for those who love God. That’s talking about us!

But there may still be things that we do not understand. But we have the promise that God does. “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33)

St. Paul reminds us that love is the reason for us to understand life’s mysteries. “2 And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all my possessions and if I hand over my body so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

“4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 5 It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:2-7)