Los Angeles Catholic Archbishop José Gomez called for prayers Thursday for victims of California’s catastrophic wildfires, while asserting that “we don’t know why these disasters happen.”
At a special Mass held at the Los Angeles Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for those who have been affected by the California wildfires, the archbishop commended the victims, as well as firefighters and first responders, to God’s provident care.
In his homily, Gomez likewise touched on the mystery of evil and the ancient question of why a good God would permit terrible things to happen to seemingly innocent people.
“In times like this, we can be tempted to question God’s love for us, to wonder where he is while good people are suffering,” he said.
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“Why does God let evil things happen? Why does he allow natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes, and earthquakes and floods?” he asked rhetorically.
“There is no easy answer. But that doesn’t mean that there are no answers,” he added.
After emphasizing God’s unshakable love for his people, made manifest in sending his Son Jesus into the world at Christmas, the archbishop went on to underscore humanity’s ignorance of God’s deeper designs.
“We don’t know why these disasters happen,” he said. “But we do know that Our Father holds this world, and each of our lives, in his loving hands. And we do know that everything he does, he does out of love for us, and for our salvation.”
“It is not an easy answer, but it is the truth,” he added.
While God’s permission of evil may remain shrouded in mystery, some of the reasons behind the California wildfires are beginning to emerge.
The arrest of an alleged arsonist has thrown cold water on the theory proposed by actors and armchair pundits that California’s woes are a product of “climate change.”
According to initial reports, Los Angeles Police believe that the Kenneth Fire currently burning was intentionally set and that the unnamed suspect of the arson was detained by citizens and restrained with zip ties before being handed over to police.
LAPD officials said that the detained suspect is a homeless man in his 30s and that the conflagration is “being investigated as a crime.”
“Justice will be swift. It will be firm, and the maximum punishment will be sought,” said Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
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Reports also suggest that the man was found with a blowtorch, as well as 5 cell phones and a prepaid United Nations debit card, leading to further questions about his identity and provenance.
Meanwhile, Hollywood actress Barbra Streisand has insisted that the strong winds carrying wildfires across Los Angeles are “due to climate change.”
“These horrible winds I think are the strongest we’ve ever experienced and a lot of that is due to climate change which this coming government better address!” Streisand wrote in a Thursday post on Bluesky.
Hollywood director Jim Jarmusch similarly blamed the fires on “climate deniers,” urging people to “wake the fuck up” and stop viewing “woke” as “a negative thing.”
“This climate crisis is brought to you by climate deniers and venal corporate greed,” Jarmusch said on Wednesday night. “We’re in a period where these clowns are telling that woke is a negative thing, and I would just like to say it’s time we wake the fuck up.”
Others have placed the blame for the fires on the shoulders of California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and other Democrat leaders, for their flagrant DEI-related hiring and their failure to prepare Los Angeles for the blazes, with empty water reservoirs that had not been refilled.
