How are we better off now because of Original Sin?

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Paragraph 412 of the Catechism asks, “But why did God not prevent the first man from sinning?” and quotes St. Leo the Great that we now have “blessings better than those the demon’s envy had taken away.” Together with St. Paul’s saying “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”, I do not understand this: I see evidence that this is false, not that this is true. Life appears overall miserable and bad, not better than paradise. How is this true?

I am suffering a great deal and I do not see God in this suffering; much less do I see that my life is better because of Original Sin.
 
ethereality said:
Paragraph 412 of the Catechism asks, “But why did God not prevent the first man from sinning?” and quotes St. Leo the Great that we now have “blessings better than those the demon’s envy had taken away.” Together with St. Paul’s saying “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”, I do not understand this: I see evidence that this is false, not that this is true. Life appears overall miserable and bad, not better than paradise. How is this true?

I am suffering a great deal and I do not see God in this suffering; much less do I see that my life is better because of Original Sin.
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Without Original Sin, we wouldn’t have a redeemer.

Personally, I think any act of love is greater than all possible suffering. But the Church teaches that original sin got us “so great a redeemer.” No sin, no salvation. God shows greater love in redeeming someone sinful than in creating someone sinless.
 
We can’t manifest relative qualities without its opposite. You can know you are the light but be unable to experience it without darkness.
 
I don’t know.

It would have been better IMNAAHO, not to need salvation and never to face death; but that’s just me.
 
We hear of this at the Easter Vigil in the beautiful exultet:

O certe necessarium Adae peccatum, quod Christi morte deletum est! O felix culpa, quae talem et tantum meruit habere redemptorem

“O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the death of Christ! O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!”
 
I know it’s sort of a conundrum; at least it seems that way.

The way I look at it is: God shows his unending love for us by choosing to send His only Son to suffer and die for us. There seems to be more value/more meaning in that than if He were to create us all sinless and had us live in a perfect, happy world. Does that make sense? I think the whole point of a Redeemer is to show us how much God loves us. Why would He go through all that trouble when he could’ve just prevented Eve from biting the forbidden fruit and causing Original Sin?

I don’t know if it sounds stupid, but I just believe by sending His Son to suffer and die, there’s a bigger “love story” than if we were all made sinless.

Then again, I could just be trying to explain or rationalize God, which is almost impossible to do.
 
ethereality said:
Paragraph 412 of the Catechism asks, “But why did God not prevent the first man from sinning?” and quotes St. Leo the Great that we now have “blessings better than those the demon’s envy had taken away.” Together with St. Paul’s saying “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”, I do not understand this: I see evidence that this is false, not that this is true. Life appears overall miserable and bad, not better than paradise. How is this true?

I am suffering a great deal and I do not see God in this suffering; much less do I see that my life is better because of Original Sin.
Click to expand...
1 Cor 15:20-24
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.
 
ethereality said:
Paragraph 412 of the Catechism asks, “But why did God not prevent the first man from sinning?” and quotes St. Leo the Great that we now have “blessings better than those the demon’s envy had taken away.” Together with St. Paul’s saying “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”, I do not understand this: I see evidence that this is false, not that this is true. Life appears overall miserable and bad, not better than paradise. How is this true?

I am suffering a great deal and I do not see God in this suffering; much less do I see that my life is better because of Original Sin.
Click to expand...
Dear Ethereality…God did not prevent the first man from sinning because no matter what God desires that we Love Him of our free will… Love is not love if it is forced…and no matter what He will make the good better and make good come out of the mistakes, without forcing His will on us… Everything done by Gods providence or ‘plan’ is key…

Read in the Catechism…CCC 323 Divine providence works also through the actions of creatures. To human beings God grants the ability to cooperate freely with his plans.

CCC 324 The fact that God permits physical and even moral evil is a mystery that God illuminates by his Son Jesus Christ who died and rose to vanquish evil. Faith gives us the certainty that God would not permit an evil if he did not cause a good to come from that very evil, by ways that we shall fully know only in eternal life.

If we never suffered we wouldn’t understand or empathize with others suffering… We’d just be Gods robots, not tools that God works through… I suffer a lot as well, but I think I am closer to God for it, and that closeness lifts my spirit as well as those who are around me despite and because of my suffering and I am learning about redemptive suffering and giving my all to God… Jesus Christ prepared me for this I know, and I’m going to make the best out of my life instead of giving in to the suffering…I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I hope you find that in your suffering as well, and I hope and pray you feel better soon! We are promised a better life with God, it may not go without suffering but then again, Jesus suffered as well and we can join our suffering with His as well as our joys with His Joys…Jesus offers His life to us to share in…!
 
We know what real love is.

If man had never sinned, we’d still be living in the garden, true, but we wouldn’t know the true depth of God’s love for us.

If all the world were black and white, we couldn’t envision color.
 
Because sin is a result of free will. God gave a us a part in creation. So we are part of the creation. It is not just God dictating. We in fact have a share in it, a say in it.

But with this responsibility we have also sin. But from that sin, God gives himself in return to repair it. So God has now added to creation on top of what we have contributed. The sum (our contribution plus God’s) is in fact greater than if God had done it all himself.

From our sin, God brings even greater things.

Please be assured that the suffering we go through is worth it in the end.
 
Because a proven love (and mercy shown through redemption in Christ) is more perfect than untested love.
 
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