Q&A Home > S > Suffering

• Credit is usually given to the devil for all the bad things that happen in the world by justifying that 'God allows it, but Satan causes it.' I know that God controls and allows everything, but isn't saying that God ALLOWS Satan to carry out his inflictions on man in most situations according to His will, another softer way of saying God DIRECTLY inflicts pain, such as cancer, on His children?
• I read, "On Wealth and Poverty," per your advice and it addressed my original question very well. It sounds like St. John Chrysostom is saying that suffering on earth leads to a more beneficent condition in the life to come by either increasing the glory of those who will enter the heavenly Jerusalem, or reducing the torment of those who will be cast into the lake of fire. However, I am still not fully understanding:
   
  1. Is it true that we believe that suffering on earth will indeed either lessen the torments of those not saved in hell or increase the glory of those saved in heaven?
  2. If the answer to the previous question is "yes," then it sounds that this is because God does not recompense the same sin twice. In which case, the improvement in the condition of one's eternal life is the result of God's justice and not a function of one's response of repentance resulting from the sin. Would it be true that the improved condition in the world to come is due to repentance in response to the suffering? Or is it grounded in the justice of God to not recompense the same sin twice, both on earth and in heaven?
  3. I have heard a sermon by Your Grace where you mention that suffering results from one of the following sources: (1) Personal sins, (2) The corrupted world in which we live (3) Satan's attacks (4) Discipline of the Lord, (5) Test of faith. Within which category would this type of suffering fall?
   
  4. We know that God "has appointed a day for recompense, on which He will appear to judge the world in righteousness and give each one according to his deeds." If our judgement is based on our deeds, then where does our sufferings in this world fit in with this criteria of judgement? Does God judge us according to our deeds which have not already been recompensed on earth? Is this also the reason why we will not have a reward from God if our charitable deeds are seen by men (Mt 6:1-7)?
• Is it God who inflicts on us pain such as cancer or accidents, or is it Satan who carries out these hardships on man? For example, Satan, with God's permission, inflicted Job with boils. God wants the best for us. Does God directly inflict these things on us to bring us closer to Him, or does He allow Satan to carry out the infliction on this earth by His will?
• My friend, who is skeptical about Christianity, often wonders why God allows that healthy parents give birth to unhealthy children. He comments that Jesus' miracles do not occur that often these days. How should I respond to his question?
• What does St. Peter mean when he says, "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, are yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin" (1 Peter 4:1)?
• What is the relationship between the pain that the saints went through and were grateful for and happy about, and that of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross?
• Why do we all have to suffer because of Adam's sin?