Expert: Griff Ruby - 12/30/2010

Question
Hello, I 'm not sure this is in your field of expertise and perhaps I'm venting.  First I'd like to say that I've had a parochial education and I'm a church goer. I recently heard about someone who is despertley seeking prayers for a sister who has lymphoma, she herself has a miriad of health issues, also to make it worse.  Another sister died not long ago to a medical error.  A doctor severed an artery during a simple outpatient procedure, the bleeding was so severe, it damaged her liver.  A liver transplant was done and she died from complications.  She herself is possibly going to be faced with another disease lupus.  She is living in fear.  She is at the end of her rope she doesn't know how much more she can take. Yet she is trying desperatly to find hope in prayer.  She wants everyone to pray for her. I get so confused when people like this woman are living and given such horrible hardships to live with.  The nuns  said God will only give you what you can stand.  This woman is filled with fear.  She can't stand much more.  Yet my confusion is why does evil exists, people who never pray never go to church no matter what denomination.  Yet they have a better life.  They enjoy all kinds of things, if they have health issues, it's not as horrible as some.
Why does God give these people a better life, and people who pray to him seem to be suffering.  I believe in merciful God not a vengeful one.  No I'm not leaving my religion, and I say the rosary when I can, because Mary wanted us to, and she said will give us protection.  So far it hasn't helped me that much but I will continue. I know they always say God gives us free will, I don't think that applies here.  As I said it's just too confusing for me.  I hate to see people suffer like the person I"ve just written about.  It's not fair.  thank you for your comments.

Answer
Part of your difficulty is a confusing of cause and effect.  It is not that people who pray and are close to God might be somehow more likely to have trials and problems (whether medical or personal or career etc.), but rather that people who have such trials and problems are more ready to turn to their Creator, all lesser places to turn to having let them down.  These people you mention do not get their illnesses because they are devout, but rather are devout because in their illness they have been privileged to be able to see something of the truth of our condition here on earth.  Those who are comfortable and sufficiently entertained can easily be distracted from that, and as such are only out of touch with reality for their being so voluntarily distracted.  Jesus said of those who have such ease and comfort and no regard of God in this life that "they have their reward" here and now, but can expect little to no help from Heaven when their life ends (unless they repent of and do penance for such indifference while still alive).  "You had the good things in life while Lazarus had the bad, but now he is comforted and you are in anguish." (Luke 16:25)
There are of course some who, despite health and a good life, can nevertheless still have the good grace to turn to God and be mindful of the needs of others and truly concerned for them with godly love, but it is very rare, like getting a camel through the eye of a needle.  Even the prosperous and healthy who truly love God were often originally brought to Him through some trial, and thankfully have learned from that trial.
A lot of suffering has been brought on by sin.  One needs to understand the full scale of the wickedness of sin, for in every sin we commit we give consent to there being yet more suffering.
Hope this helps, God bless!