Freedom was a good event. It was my second time going, and I had a good confession with Father Dave. I honestly really appreciate him as a priest, friend and mentor. I also asked him one of the questions that had been attacking my faith: Why did God seem so cruel in the Old Testament?

And he gave me an answer.

The most important thing is that you have to read the Old Testament with the context of the New Testament. You have to read it with the fact in mind that all along Jesus was in the plan. The prophets of the Old Testament even told the people of the coming of the Messiah who would die for their sins. For the love of them.

Back during the Old Testament times, people interpreted everything that happened as an act of God's direct assertion at that moment (not that He doesn't so now, but as in the natural way of things that He set in motion at the beginning of time). For example if it rained, it wasn't because of the natural weather system, but because it was God directly acting at that moment. And so, when they began to sin and fall away from God (like any human does) they began to fall away and fall into evil and great strife. And they said that these horrible punishments were from God. But would God honestly do that? The question of God doing evil doesn't make sense. And that's the thing. God even warned the people that if they sinned, they would fall into death and all other sorts of evil. Not because God is punishing them, but because that's what sin is. A punishment in itself.

God gave us free will and since God is all that is good, choosing to turn away from God is choosing to fall away from His grace, His blessings, and all that is good.

The people of Israel looked liked they were being punished harshly for their sins but to be honest, they brought that upon themselves! That's what happens when you sin. You choose to go against God and so God, Who doesn't want to force you into a relationship with Him, will step back and let whatever evil come to you, because that's what you chose. What good is there that is not of God? So when you choose to turn from God, all you have is darkness.

And that's why God had planned all the time the coming of Jesus. So that Jesus could die for our sins. So that He could die a death for our sins, a death that we deserve. He gave us the second chance, the choice to escape that death from our sins.

He died for our sins so that we wouldn't have to.

But in the end, as God doesn't want forced love from His creations, it's up to you.