A miracle that disturbs me

I love miracles and they bring much hope. This miracle is no different but it disturbs me nonetheless. On August 6th, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atom bomb on Hiroshima. The town was obviously annihilated and everyone within a 1 mile radius  were killed instantly except for 8 Jesuit priests. At most, the priests suffered from some minor injuries but that was it. They baffled doctors and scientist as they didn't even suffer from radiation poisoning.  They lived well after the bombing and died of natural causes in their old age. You can read about Fr. Schiffer's testimony here. In the photo below, you see Hiroshima completely destroyed with the exception of the house that the priests lived at. Next to what's left standing of the church in the road toward the bottom of the photo, you can see the priests gathered together.

The explanation that he gave for the priest's survival is that they lived the message of Fatima and they prayed the Rosary everyday. One of the promises of the Rosary is this:

Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune.God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.

One of the messages of Fatima:


"The war [World War I] is going to end.  But if people do not stop offending God, another and worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI.  When you shall see a night illuminated by an unknown light [January 25,1938], know that this is the great sign that God gives you that He is going to punish the world for its many crimes by means of war, hunger, and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father." -Our Lady of Fatima


So what to make of all this? I believe when God chastises us what He is doing is basically letting us destroy ourselves. God is in control and can intervene if we let Him but if we ignore Him, as a faithful Father, He let's us make our mistakes and suffer the consequences and He does this for our own good. 


Non-believers will ask that if there is a God, why does He allow evil to happen?  The simple answer is, God gave us free will and He will never violate that. He wants us to love Him freely. However, when we turn to Him, He is there and He is in control. He can stop horrible things from happening or He can allow them to happen. He is in control regardless. No matter the evil, God always sees to the greater good. But our minds can't comprehend what that greater good is. For myself, I think of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and I am deeply disturbed and upset and I ask why and I mourn all the innocent lives that were lost. I feel anger at how destructive humankind is. I wish atomic and nuclear weapons were never invented. The sliver of hope in this event is that these Jesuits survived because God intervened and went against the laws of physics and nature and saved them from an unprovided death. I pray that all who were innocent are in paradise in the arms of God. I have hope that they are. Either way, God is in control. Let us continue our prayers for the earthquake victims in Japan, Haiti, New Zealand and all over the world where war and natural disasters are ravaging.