Do you remember how Jesus said it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than it is for the rich man to enter the kingdom of God? I think this is because the rich man, the man to whom everything is provided here on Earth, must work MUCH harder to get into Heaven. Just look at Charlie Sheen. Every sin is at his beck and call. Like hookers? Like porno? Like drugs and alcohol? It’s a phone call away. The temptation is enormous and the means are right there. Add to that his tremendous ego that results from being told “yes” all day every day for years on end and he has become his own God.
The Church teaches that the more free will is present in any given situation, the more culpable we are for our sins. The rich man has a LOT of free will, so when he makes choices like those above, there is really no excuse for it. He may SEEM to have it all, but he has his own crosses to bear.
Now look at people who suffer immensely. Take a girl who has been beaten and raped her whole life, who comes from poverty. Her free will is in a sense, more limited because the choices she makes in her life will undoubtedly be derivative of the horrible experiences she has had. Although she is still responsible for herself, god will grant her more mercy should she turn to drugs or prostitution or pornography because of what she has been through. She may SEEM to have nothing, but (as the beatitudes specify) she and those like her will be shown greater mercy by God. Of course, they will probably spend a LONG time in Purgatory…
Now look at someone like Joan of Arc. Most people would say she had a horrible life and death. At the end of her short life she was imprisoned and mistreated and finally burned alive. Where the heck was God then? Where was this dead-beat dad? What was he doing that was SOOOOOO important that he couldn’t have just snapped His fingers and set her free and given her a mansion in the French countryside? He was there all right. He was giving Joan the greatest gift He could give anyone - the opportunity for holiness. Almost NO-ONE gets an opportunity like that. Sure, Joan could have very easily taken the easy way out. Like the girl above, she could have simply done what circumstances dictated (for Joan, that would have meant recanting her testimony) and God almost certainly would have shown her mercy. After all, how could anyone be expected to willingly burn alive at the stake? But she didn’t. She seized the opportunity that God gave her and was sanctified. She no doubt holds one of the most honored places in all of Heaven, and will do so for ETERNITY. Instead of being unfortunate and abandoned by God, Joan was given an ENORMOUS grace - the chance to give up everything for Him, and she was rewarded beyond imagination.
How many people who have been given everything - money, the perfect wife, the perfect kids, the perfect house, etc. will EVER hold such an esteemed place among God’s chosen? Those people will have to struggle against sin and temptation every day for their entire lives in order to get into Heaven and even THEN they will need vast amounts of God’s grace to make it in. God allows us to struggle because He is giving us the opportunity to be holy, to choose His way and His will, despite our misfortunes.
When people suffer, God gives them the chance to earn their place with Him in Heaven. Those who never suffer have a much harder time of it. I know it’s hard when you are in the midst of suffering, but try to keep your eye on the prize instead of down here on Earthly matters, and use your suffering to become as holy as possible. Jesus promised us that it will pay off in His Sermon on the Mount. Allow yourself to be sanctified by surrendering your will to God and staying faithful.
