Marissa's Bunny

My God-daughter, Marissa, has infantile spasms. Her papa, my God-brother, Mike, does a much better job explaining what that means than what I would have to say, and he's established a blog to get the word out. Read it, and enjoy the travels of Marissa's bunny (thankfully not named 'Pat').

She is such a trooper during her episodes. I think, in fact, Mike and I suffer moreso than she does when spasming. To a one-year-old's mind, these seizures don't have the weight of gross injustice that bears down on old people like the (God-)papas. One of the questions I need to deal with, being Christian (Catholic, even), and being a Catholic apologist, in myself and coming from others, is why would God visit this affliction upon her:

Oh, God, in your infinite wisdom, why did You do this?

Of course, put in those terms, the lamentation is tautological: God does have infinite wisdom and somewhere in that infinite wisdom is the reason.

To what (good) end? I don't know, and I don't have answers. Does it make our suffering any easier knowing that God has a plan and isn't doing all this for His own amusement? Of course, but that doesn't make life on earth a walk through Willy Wonka's park. Mary had her sorrows; Jesus cried. Both were Immaculately (hu)man, and Jesus also fully God. Both knew God has a perfect plan where this all works to the good, but that didn't "wipe away every tear." Not yet. Jesus' "burden is light", but it's still a cross we must bear.

So, pray for us, Marissa's parents, Mike and Malou, and for me and Aileen, Marissa's God-parents, that we bear this burden for her sake.