Why do some people have everything?

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elysianverse said:
It’s a fallen world and we all suffer. But some people have everything right from birth - wealth inherited from parents, best education, good looks etc. etc. Why does God favor them even though this is a sinful, fallen world?
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It’s amazing how differently people can look at the same issue. I kind of look at this issue the other way around, because of the teachings of the gospels. I worry sometimes that those who “have everything” might be missing out on spiritual life, because if they never feel the need for the grace of Christ, their hearts may never convert, and they might not find heaven, if they’ve adapted to everything being given to them. The gospels are always saying the first shall be last, the last shall be first; Those who love their lives will lose them; It his harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven; etc. etc. etc. It goes on like that throughout the New Testament.

I’m inclined to pray extra hard for those with seemingly perfect exterior lives. Particularly, those who are deeply satisfied and happy with that life. I’m concerned often that “they have their reward”, unless they fight very hard to overcome their worldly success. There are some, I’m sure, who are not enamored of the material success they have attained, and who are very good stewards of the gifts they have been given, and are still working toward spiritual perfection as well. But I do believe that those with apparently fabulous lives are at more risk of not appreciating God’s more subtle gifts in this life, and most certainly the most valuable gifts of all. Eternal life with our Lord.

If you’re rich and happy and living a great life, and you are a devout Catholic Christian, please don’t take any offense. Yes, I’m aware there are exceptions to every observation that any man can make. There is no judgement intended. It’s just an observation that you would APPEAR to be working with a handicap in the big picture when compared with the Gospel of the Christ.

May God bless all of us with his grace, and guide us to give the best we each have to give of our time, talent, and treasury to the glory of God.

Peace,

Steven
 
When Jesus died on the Cross He had everything. He had no earthly power, no earthly wealth, no earthly honor, and no earthly fame. Everything He had came from His Father and He was going back to the Father. If you really want to see the happiest man that ever walked the earth look at the crucifix. And so He had everything…teachccd
 
The rich guy doesn’t suffer poverty, isn’t dehumanized, can afford medical care, enjoy life with fine wine, music, and theater. He also believes in Christ, so once he dies he will be in heaven. In short, he has a mini heaven on earth, plus he will be in heaven after death as well.

Whereas the poor man who suffers hell on earth - poverty, disease, shame, despair, and a million other problems - will go to hell because he never got the opportunity to even hear about Christ ( because he was too busy trying to survive in this wretched world).

In this context, it appears as if God has chosen the rich - he wants the rich to enjoy both earth and heaven. God has blessed the rich and cursed the poor.
 
elysianverse said:
The rich guy doesn’t suffer poverty, isn’t dehumanized, can afford medical care, enjoy life with fine wine, music, and theater. He also believes in Christ, so once he dies he will be in heaven. In short, he has a mini heaven on earth, plus he will be in heaven after death as well.

Whereas the poor man who suffers hell on earth - poverty, disease, shame, despair, and a million other problems - will go to hell because he never got the opportunity to even hear about Christ ( because he was too busy trying to survive in this wretched world).

In this context, it appears as if God has chosen the rich - he wants the rich to enjoy both earth and heaven. God has blessed the rich and cursed the poor.
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If the rich man believes in Christ, he would have done good works on earth such as feed the poor, take care of the sick etc. Just believeing isn’t enough. Protestants believe in faith alone.

As for your poor man, who apparently lives in a third-world hell hole, it is not his fault that he never heard about Christ. God understands the limits imposed on his life and will show abundant mercy and love.

There is nothing sinful about a person who can afford some luxuries having them. But he, the wealthy man, must tamper his lust for things of this world by remembering others. On the other hand, a poor person can be filled with greed for what the rich man has and thinks to himself that he should have the exact trappings of a rich man but be free from working for it. Being poor does not mean being above sin.
 
elysianverse said:
The rich guy doesn’t suffer poverty, isn’t dehumanized, can afford medical care, enjoy life with fine wine, music, and theater. He also believes in Christ, so once he dies he will be in heaven. In short, he has a mini heaven on earth, plus he will be in heaven after death as well.

Whereas the poor man who suffers hell on earth - poverty, disease, shame, despair, and a million other problems - will go to hell because he never got the opportunity to even hear about Christ ( because he was too busy trying to survive in this wretched world).

In this context, it appears as if God has chosen the rich - he wants the rich to enjoy both earth and heaven. God has blessed the rich and cursed the poor.
Click to expand...
This couldn’t be wrong in it’s understanding of the teachings of Christ if you replaced every word in this with another word drawn out of a hat full of random clippings from a dictionary.

;-),

but apart from that, Peace,

Steven
 
An abundance of worldly goods often leaves you spiritually bankrupt.

Rich and beautiful does* not* = Happy.

Everyone, everyone, has their challenges and grief. It’s inescapable. Don’t get up twisted.
 
The only souls who have everything are the ones in Heaven. Don’t get hung up on earthly “happiness” or sadness.
 
elysianverse said:
The rich guy doesn’t suffer poverty, isn’t dehumanized, can afford medical care, enjoy life with fine wine, music, and theater. He also believes in Christ, so once he dies he will be in heaven. In short, he has a mini heaven on earth, plus he will be in heaven after death as well.

Whereas the poor man who suffers hell on earth - poverty, disease, shame, despair, and a million other problems - will go to hell because he never got the opportunity to even hear about Christ ( because he was too busy trying to survive in this wretched world).

In this context, it appears as if God has chosen the rich - he wants the rich to enjoy both earth and heaven. God has blessed the rich and cursed the poor.
Click to expand...
Joy in Heaven is infinite.

By definition, the difference between A (happiness on earth) and B (joy in Heaven) is the same as the difference between C (misery on earth) and B (joy in heaven). The difference is ALWAYS infinite. B-A = B-C. Every time.

Temporally speaking, it is the same way. The difference between A (living 1 second) and B (spending eternity with God) is the same as C (living to be a trillion years old) and B (spending eternity with God) - the difference is always infinite. B-A = C-A. Every time.

If you can’t take comfort in theology, take comfort in math.
 
I feel like the poor are really wealthy because their Hell is in this life whereas mine will be in the next life (unless I somehow make it to Purgatory).
 
ahs said:
The better question might be, “why does it bother me that others have more than I?”

And the most important thing to remember is, it does not matter what you have in this world (materially) because it is all of this world. When we die, it all stays behind and all we have left is what we did or didn’t do for God.

There is an excellent book that you may find incredibly helpful in this area called “Preparation for Death” by St. Alphonsus Liguori. It is not in print anymore, but you can find used copies. (Except I do think Patrick Coffin did a translation/abridged version…I have not read that one…maybe it is identical? ) My wife and I are reading small bits each day as a daily meditation throughout his year and we have found it extremely helpful in understanding the very thing you are asking about.

-ahs

At some point I think we have all wondered why some seem to have it all from an earthly perspective. I certainly feel very Thankful that my basic needs are met.

The OP did not say it bothered them, you are interjecting this because they merely asked the question. My question to you is why do you assume the OP is bothered by this as it could easily be curiosity and not a bothersome issue. A gentle reminder that self righteouness is also an easy trap.
I know, I know, right back at me. Point taken.

I would like to be rich so that I could be a philanthropist 😃
Now wouldn’t that be fun. Oh my, I can hear the groaning from here. :eek:
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Would any of you say no to a brand new ferrari if you were given one?
When you buy a car do you buy a nice decent looking one,or buy an old beaten up hunk of junk?

Do any of you purposely make yourselves look uglier,or do you all groom yourselves and make yourselves look as nice as possible?

Do you all neglect your schooling and throw your education out the window,or do you all work and study hard to get a good education and job?
 
Paul_theApostle said:
Would any of you say no to a brand new ferrari if you were given one?
When you buy a car do you buy a nice decent looking one,or buy an old beaten up hunk of junk?

Do any of you purposely make yourselves look uglier,or do you all groom yourselves and make yourselves look as nice as possible?

Do you all neglect your schooling and throw your education out the window,or do you all work and study hard to get a good education and job?
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I was just speaking for myself. I don’t think it is immoral to be rich or pursue the finer things in life. There are plenty of wealthy righteous people in the Bible.
 
elysianverse said:
It’s a fallen world and we all suffer. But some people have everything right from birth - wealth inherited from parents, best education, good looks etc. etc. Why does God favor them even though this is a sinful, fallen world?
Click to expand...
This statement couldn’t be more wrong in it’s understanding of the teachings of Christ if you replaced every word in it with another word drawn out of a hat full of random clippings from a dictionary.

;-),

It’s amazing how differently people can look at the same issue. I kind of look at this issue the other way around, because of the teachings of the gospels. I worry sometimes that those who “have everything” might be missing out on spiritual life, because if they never feel the need for the grace of Christ, their hearts may never convert, and they might not find heaven, if they’ve adapted to everything being given to them. The gospels are always saying the first shall be last, the last shall be first; Those who love their lives will lose them; It his harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven; etc. etc. etc. It goes on like that throughout the New Testament.

I’m inclined to pray extra hard for those with seemingly perfect exterior lives. Particularly, those who are deeply satisfied and happy with that life. I’m concerned often that “they have their reward”, unless they fight very hard to overcome their worldly success. There are some, I’m sure, who are not enamored of the material success they have attained, and who are very good stewards of the gifts they have been given, and are still working toward spiritual perfection as well. But I do believe that those with apparently fabulous lives are at more risk of not appreciating God’s more subtle gifts in this life, and most certainly the most valuable gifts of all. Eternal life with our Lord.

If you’re rich and happy and living a great life, and you are a devout Catholic Christian, please don’t take any offense. Yes, I’m aware there are exceptions to every observation that any man can make. There is no judgement intended. It’s just an observation that you would APPEAR to be working with a handicap in the big picture when compared with the Gospel of the Christ.

May God bless all of us with his grace, and guide us to give the best we each have to give of our time, talent, and treasury to the glory of God.

Peace,

Steven
 
Paul_theApostle said:
Would any of you say no to a brand new ferrari if you were given one?
Click to expand...
I would not want one, but cars are not my thing. I would find an expensive car like that a burden. As far as the question as to why some people have everything? That is never true, since we don’t know what is really happening in their lives. Things are not always as they seem. Very wealthy famous people have no privacy and often very shallow personal lives, and that is just one example. If you count superficial things, then you may be swayed in a secular society as ours. Being on a Catholic site, you must realize that we need to follow Jesus to be fulfilled.
 
Some people appear to have everything because of an **accident **of birth. Even though we exist by Design there is an element of chance in the way events unfold. Not everything is directly willed by God - as we can see from the gross injustice of life which is not always due to human decisions. To parody Malvolio, some are born rich, some achieve riches and some have riches thrust upon them!

It is impossible for everyone to be born in the same circumstances with the same talents and opportunities nor is it desirable because variety is the spice of life - as well as bringing good fortune to some and misfortune to others. It is folly to envy those who are wealthy because every form of life has its advantages and disadvantages. Jesus told us it is harder for it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Wealth and power are sources of temptation whereas poverty and weakness make us more dependent on God - and on the kindness of others.

Instead of questioning the fact of inequality we should do the best we can to alleviate the suffering of the poor and leave the rest to Providence. There will always be plenty of unfinished business in this world where injustice is unrectified but in heaven every tear will be wiped away. Those who are afflicted will be consoled because even now their suffering brings them closer to Our Lord who** chose** to suffer for all of us. That is why the great saints renounced riches…
 
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