The greatest challenge to belief in God is the existence of evil and suffering in the world. How can a good God allow it? Of course, as Christians we understand that love is impossible, and therefore true happiness is impossible, without free will. And there’s the problem.
After the fall, God sent His Son to redeem us and, united with Him, we our way back to the Father. But it’s not easy in a fallen world.
That’s the theological framework. In reality, as much as we may understand God’s plan intellectually, the personal sufferings we endure, particularly in our formative years, can be great obstacles to belief in God, or belief in His goodness and love for us, and can be a challenge to living with the joy God intends for us to experience. As Thoreau once said, Most men [and women] live lives of quiet desperation. I think that’s truer today than ever. So many people, young and old, are living simulated lives these days, online and isolated from one another and real relationships.
This month we celebrate the feast of St. John the Baptist on June 24th. St. John is our patron saint here at Catholictherapists.com. 25 years ago, as I was preparing to launch Catholic Therapists, a friend and colleague answered a prayer I had uttered casually that same morning: God, if you want me to have a patron Saint for Catholic Therapists, who should it be? At the end of a lunch meeting, my friend said Hey, you know who the patron Saint should be? St. John the Baptist! At first, I was perplexed. He wasn’t on my radar. Then he said, Prepare the way the Lord. Make straight his paths. And I blurted out That’s what we do! I think God answered that prayer so quickly because there is such an urgency these days.
If the goal of life is ultimately union with God and communion with others (heaven), emotional wounds that get in the way need to be healed in order for that to happen. The job of therapy is to remove the psychological and emotional impediments to union with God and union with others. As Catholic Therapists, we help to prepare the way of the Lord, and most importantly to make straight his paths.
We also celebrate this month Father’s Day. Perhaps the two being celebrated in the same week is not an accident, after all nothing is in God’s plan. The role of a father is so critical in the formation of children. Sadly, in our culture, so many fathers have been absent in the lives of their children. And too often the image of fathers has been denigrated, mocked and marginalized. How can we even think of a relationship with God the Father if we either don’t even believe fathers matter, or we have a father wound that has distorted the image of a loving father who provides for our every need?
I think that’s worth our contemplation this month. Is your image of God distorted? Are you projecting the image of your earthly father onto God? Do you feel far away, or like something is standing in your way? Pray to St. John the Baptist to help make straight your path to God, to help you prepare the way by identifying the wounds and obstacles that may be blocking you. And do reach out to a Catholic therapist who can help you finally be freed to experience the love of God the Father.
Allison is also the Founder and President of www.CatholicTherapists.com, and CatholicLifeCoaches.com, which provide nationwide networks of screened and dedicated Catholic therapists and Catholic life coaches.
- Ep. 355 Praying Through the Pain - September 9, 2026
- How to Forgive Someone Who Hurt You: A Christian Path to Healing and Freedom - September 9, 2026
- Ep. 354 Are You Asking the Right Question in Therapy? - September 2, 2026
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