Von Balthasar on the Mystery of Sin and Suffering

“At a human level we can understand that sin must be expiated, either by the sinner himself or perhaps by some other in his stead, for it is evident that, in intending evil, man not only disturbs the order of being as a whole but actually damages his own good nature. Indeed, he may even ruin it entirely. If, behind the established world order, we see a God who has founded it in love and thus accompanies it, it is not hard to understand that his love can appear in the mode of anger, punishing the disruption of his order by the imposition of suffering. . . Suffering has an educative function, makes us aware of the seriousness of life and death and of man’s final goal. Furthermore, suffering spurs man on to fight against it, this is most definitely part of his task in the world, stimulating him to make countless discoveries”