Bishop Robert Barron on Suffering and Our Faith

"Premier Christian Radio in the UK just sponsored a survey that investigated how the COVID crisis has affected religious beliefs and attitudes. There were three major findings - namely, that 67 percent of those who characterize themselves as 'religious' found their belief in God challenged, that almost a quarter of all those questioned said that the pandemic made them more fearful of death, and that around a third of those surveyed said that their prayer life had been affected by the crisis. Justin Brierley, who hosts the popular program Unbelievable?, commented that he was especially impressed by the substantial number of those who, due to COVID, have experienced difficulty believing in a loving God. I should like to focus on this finding as well."

In a recent commentary, Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, reflected on biblical portrayals of suffering and its relationship to God and on how our suffering should not lead us to dismiss God's love, but rather should lead us to appreciate it as "stranger than we ever imagined."

To access Bishop Barron's complete post, please visit:

The Boston Pilot: Echoes: Bishop Robert Barron: Should suffering shake our faith? (14 APR 21)