They’re simple questions, and ones that every believer has to confront at some point in his or her life: why do we suffer, and why does God—who we believe to be good and loving—allow it?

Humanity’s struggles with these questions have inspired countless works of art and literature—from the book of Job on through the ages—as well as theological treatises. But the struggle is also very personal; we all must undergo suffering in our lives, and as Christians, come to an understanding of how these sufferings fit into God’s plan for our redemption.

Mark Giszczak, professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute, has written a new book called Suffering: What Every Catholic Should Know. While it takes the reader through Scripture from the Book of Job through the Crucifixion, bringing in the wisdom of the Church Fathers as well as Catholic sacramental and liturgical tradition, the book is accessible and sensitive to the deeply personal nature of suffering.

Giszczak joins your host Andrew Petiprin in this episode to discuss Suffering.

Read more of Giszczak’s work at CatholicBibleStudent.com.