In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the wonderful Dr. Mark Giszczak from the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology to talk about suffering. It's a perennial topic and, as I suggest in this episode, one of the top reasons that I hear about for people leaving the Catholic faith. Why does God allow so much suffering? What's the difference between human-caused suffering and natural disasters and sicknesses? How is suffering just? And, incredibly, how does the Catholic faith actually propose the best framework for understanding evil and suffering – something that atheists simply can't explain. This and much more in this week's episode. For more from Dr. Giszczak check out his book Suffering: What Every Catholic Should Know from the Augustine Institute and Ignatius Press. And visit Dr. Giszczak's website, Catholic Bible Student. For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel. Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me. If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page. Thank you to those already supporting the show! This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patron Co-Producers. Thanks to Eli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, Victor and Susanne, Phil, Noah, Nicole, Michelle, Jordan, Jon, James, Gina, and Eyram. Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media: Instagram: @cordialcatholic Twitter: @cordialcatholic YouTube: /thecordialcatholic Facebook: The Cordial Catholic TikTok: @cordialcatholic