David from northern Rhode Island called in to The Patrick Madrid Show with a question that hits many of us when we read passages like Acts 4, where the early Church acknowledges that Jesus’ enemies “brought about the very things” God had planned.
David wondered: If God had a plan, does that mean God also planned who would do the evil? And how is that different from predestination?
Patrick began with an important clarification: Catholics do believe in predestination. What the Church rejects is double predestination, the idea that God predestines some people to Heaven and others to Hell. That would make God the author of evil, and God is all good.
To illustrate, Patrick pointed to Judas. Judas’ betrayal was foretold, but that doesn’t mean Judas was programmed or forced. Prophecy and God’s foreknowledge don’t erase human freedom. Judas acted freely, and he was responsible for his actions.
So what does it mean that God “planned” things from long ago? Patrick explained this as God’s providence. God is never surprised by human sin, but He can bring genuine good out of it. The Crucifixion itself was a terrible sin, yet God turned it into the victory of the Resurrection and our salvation.
David admitted it still feels mysterious and Patrick agreed, offering a helpful definition: a mystery isn’t something we can know nothing about; it’s something we can’t know everything about, at least not until Heaven.
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